www.cnn.com/2023/01/13/sport/transgender-athlete-protest-ncaa-spt-intl/index.html
CNN
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A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the NCAA Convention in San Antonio on Thursday to protest the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s college sports.
The protest was attended by former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against University of Pennsylvania transgender athlete Lia Thomas in last year’s NCAA swimming and diving championships.
Speaking outside the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Gaines said to NCAA officials: “We’ve created a petition with almost 10,000 signatures from people around the country who want to support keeping female sports female.”
Current NCAA policy stipulates that transgender student-athlete participation for each sport is “to be determined by the policy for the national governing body of that sport” in alignment with the policies of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees.
Gaines has previously spoken about the matter in campaign ads with former US Senate candidate Herschel Walker in Georgia and at a rally held by Donald Trump.
The demonstration was organized by several groups, including the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).
ICONS released a statement on Thursday, saying: “They [the NCAA] must protect female athletes from discrimination on the basis of sex, or expect we will be forced to take legal steps to compel them to do so.”
The statement calls for the NCAA to “comply with U.S. civil rights law” by “repealing all policies that allow male athletes to take roster spots on women’s teams and/or compete in women’s events.”
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar was at the protest and tweeted: “Sports teaches strategic thinking. But weirdly, the NCAA is not listening; it’s doggedly pursuing a losing strategy: people are LESS empathetic to transgender athletes after they see males compete in our sports, denying female opportunities.”
Proud of these women standing up for American women's sports. Thank you for being a voice for us!