SANTA FE, NM — Independent Women is thrilled to celebrate New Mexico State Representative Andrea Reeb’s (R-64) introduction of the Protection of Women’s Sports Act. The bill, inspired by Independent Women’s Stand With Women legislation, would maintain the integrity of women’s sports in New Mexico by prohibiting males from competing on female-designated teams. Rep. Reeb’s bill takes the necessary step to codify President Trump’s latest executive order to keep men out of women’s sports. It also protects collegiate athletes, which aligns with the NCAA’s latest announcement that males cannot compete in women’s sports at the collegiate level.
“As a mother of athletes, I know how rewarding sports can be in our children’s lives. It can be a creative outlet, a launching pad to higher education, and an opportunity to create life-long friendships. However, when our female athletes are fearful of their safety, those rewards slip away. Forcing female athletes to face off against biological men in the sport that they love is not only dangerous, it steals victories right out of their hands. I am proud to introduce a bill that protects New Mexico’s young women from losing what they love about sports for fear of being injured. We have worked too hard and come too far with protections like Title IX to give up on a future for protected female-only spaces. I hope to see bipartisan support for our talented New Mexico female athletes during this 60-day session,” said Representative Andrea Reeb.
“The value of opportunity is priceless. Sports have become a vessel for so many women to further their education, create lasting relationships, and showcase their skills. Why would anyone try to take this away from New Mexico’s young women? Women have constantly battled for a seat at the table, and now female athletes are forced to fight for their spot on the field. We’ve made tremendous progress, and we cannot let our female-protected spaces be compromised. We must keep medals and trophies in the hands of young women and ensure they’re not being robbed of their place on the podium,” said Representative Rebecca Dow.
“It has been astounding to watch the number of ‘Women’s Advocates’ turn their collective backs on long held and hard fought Title IX protections, throwing female athletes’ opportunities out of the window. Not protecting spaces for female athletes after years of progress is simply disgraceful. It’s vital that we continue to advocate for women and safeguard their opportunities,” said Representative Rod Montoya.
“After much progress has been made, female sports are being threatened by biological males. There’s no question about it. A biological male, no matter what, will consistently have greater athletic abilities. This is unfair to the young women who dedicate so much of their time to perfecting their sports. We should be protecting opportunities like this for all women in New Mexico,” said Representative Jenifer Jones.
Independent Women is proud to have engaged with leaders across the state of New Mexico to advocate for the protection of women’s sports. In October 2024, Independent Women Ambassador and former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania Paula Scanlan met with state representatives on the importance of single-sex athletics at Stand With Women events in Las Cruces and Albuquerque.
In February 2024, numerous Independent Women ambassador athletes—including Riley Gaines, a 12x All-American Swimmer, and Coach Kim Russell, a former collegiate head women’s lacrosse coach—joined a press conference with New Mexico lawmakers to champion similar Stand With Women legislation introduced last year. Gaines also issued a formal letter to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham requesting the governor meet with female athletes to discuss the state of women in New Mexico, to which the Governor’s Office declined.
Rep. Reeb’s introduction follows national momentum on the protection of women’s sports, including a Federal District Court in Kentucky issuing a decision in Tennessee v. Cardona, a case led by Independent Women’s Law Center, that struck down the Biden administration’s unlawful attempt to redefine ‘sex’ in Title IX to include ‘gender identity.’ The Court’s ruling applies nationwide, vacating the unlawful regulations, which would have erased female-only sports across the country.
The bill also follows President Donald Trump’s Day-One Executive Order that restores biological reality and protects sex-based rights and federal legislation passing with bipartisan support in the U.S. House to protect women’s-only sports. Twenty-six states have already codified similar language to ensure long-term protections for female athletes.
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