SANTA FE, NM — Today, New Mexico State Representative Andrea Reeb’s (R-64) Protection of Women’s Sports Act, inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women legislation, failed to pass out of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a party-line vote with Democrats killing the bill. The legislation, which would have maintained the integrity of women’s sports in New Mexico by prohibiting males from competing on female-designated teams, represented 84% of New Mexicans who said in a recent poll that there are important reasons to separate the sexes when it comes to athletics.
Independent Women Ambassadors Payton McNabb and Kim Russell, who days ago stood behind President Donald Trump for the signing of the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order, visited New Mexico today to testify in support of the legislation as a necessary step to codify the protection of New Mexican women’s privacy, safety, and equal athletic opportunity.
“Women have a right to a fair and equal opportunity on and off the playing field. Men have no place in our single-sex spaces. Now, this legislation has an opportunity to provide New Mexican female athletes the protection I didn’t get,” said Independent Women Ambassador Payton McNabb during her testimony.
Independent Women Ambassador Kim Russell added during testimony, “Without protections, opportunities to compete are taken away from women—to say nothing of trophies and awards. No school should have to choose between doing what’s right and protecting their reputation. HB 185 shields schools from unjust accusations while upholding fairness in sports.”
Independent Women has engaged with leaders across the state of New Mexico to highlight the need to protect women’s sports. In October 2024, Independent Women Ambassador and former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan met with state representatives at Stand With Women events in Las Cruces and Albuquerque. Earlier, in February 2024, Independent Women ambassadors including 12x All-American swimmer Riley Gaines and former lacrosse coach Kim Russell joined a press conference with lawmakers to support similar Stand With Women legislation. Gaines also sent a letter to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham requesting a meeting with female athletes, which the Governor’s Office declined.
Today, the New Mexico Legislature failed yet another opportunity to stand with female athletes—setting New Mexico back, despite national momentum on this issue, including the NCAA’s latest announcement that males cannot compete in women’s sports at the collegiate level and federal legislation passing with bipartisan support in the U.S. House to protect women’s-only sports. In addition, twenty-six states have already codified similar language to ensure long-term protections for female athletes.
Gender extremists have sacrificed women’s rights to single-sex athletics, opportunities, and privacy on the altar of a radical view of “inclusion.” An overwhelming majority of New Mexicans agree that this has gone on for too long. To the detriment of New Mexican women, the New Mexico Legislature chose to ignore their voices by failing to pass the Protection of Women’s Sports Act out of committee so it could continue through the legislative process.
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