(LifeSiteNews) — Nine Republican governors submitted a joint letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requesting that the organization “rewrite” its policy to exclude gender-confused individuals from competing against the opposite sex.
On Monday, a coalition of state leaders sent a request to the NCAA’s Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS), spearheaded by South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Kristi Noem. The letter is seeking a change in the organization’s Transgender Student Athlete Policy and is addressed to the committee “responsible for reviewing this policy and recommending changes to the NCAA Board of Governors.”
The current policy allows for the “national governing body” of a given sport to decide its “transgender [sic] student-athlete participation.” The NCAA Board of Governors was also included in the message due to that body’s role in having “initially passed” the policy.
“The NCAA has the chance to guarantee an environment where female college athletes can thrive without concern of inequities,” the letter states. “But this policy allows the NCAA to avoid responsibility for ensuring the fairness of collegiate sports – therefore it must be changed.”
The letter cites research to support the reality that “it is fundamentally unfair for a biological male to compete against a biological female” regardless of a biological man’s self-proclaimed “gender identity.” Citing data from the National Institutes for Health, the letter notes that there is a 10 percent average “difference between the top performing males and females in athletic competition.”
The letter’s message was further emphasized by highlighting the stories of former NCAA swimmer turned women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines, who, despite having tied with the gender-confused William “Lia” Thomas in a race, was not given the usual honor of that achievement. The trophy was awarded to Thomas instead of them sharing the podium.
Similarly, the governors noted that Olympic gold medalist track and field athlete Allyson Felix’s record time of under 50 seconds has been beaten by teenage boys, further proving “that male and female bodies are biologically different.”
“If you continue the NCAA’s misguided policies, stories like Riley Gaines’ will only become more common,” the letter concludes. “Policies that allow men and women to compete against one another validate an average male athlete stealing the recognition from a truly remarkable female athlete.”
The letter also notes that the role of securing fairness in women’s sports falls onto state governors “due to the lack of action at the federal level.”
“As governors of our states, it is our responsibility to care for our constituents, and we are doing all we can do to protect the fairness of athletics in our states. Now, it is time for the NCAA to do the same and make the best decision for all of your athletes.”
In addition to Noem, eight other Republican governors signed the letter, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri, Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana, Gov. Joe Lombardo of Nevada, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, and Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
The letter comes after several Republican governors have banned biological males from competing against females in athletics in their own states, including Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Alabama.
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