WASHINGTON D.C. — Independent Women’s Law Center announced today that it has filed two amicus curiae briefs with the United States Supreme Court in support of state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that protect the integrity of women’s and girls’ sports.
The high court agreed earlier this year to hear two cases involving state laws that ban males from participating in female sports, West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox. Both briefs outline the harms caused to women when forced to compete against men and provide the Court with the most recent data and statistics demonstrating the physical differences between male and female athletes, as well as the unfair competitive advantage males have over females. Indeed, that unfair competitive advantage is why Title IX athletic regulations permit single-sex sports.
The brief further highlights stories of women and girls who have endured shattered dreams and lost opportunities that result when women’s sports are not protected. Independent Women’s Law Center makes the argument that decades of progress has been overshadowed by males invading female athletics and urges the Court to finally put an end to the erosion of Title IX protections by ensuring that women’s sports remain a fair and level playing field for female athletes.
May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center, said: “No person actually believes Title IX legally requires the trampling of women’s sports, in favor of males. The courts that previously ruled women’s sports are illegal were never interpreting law, but promoting a regressive future where words have no meaning and women’s progress holds no value. The brief filed by Independent Women’s Law Center tells the stories you haven’t heard of young female athletes pushed into unfair and damaging situations in violation of Title IX, all to elevate a male’s feelings.”
Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel for Independent Women’s Law Center, said: “This marks a critical moment for the future of women’s sports, and I am confident the Court will uphold West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act and Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, and protect girls’ sports. The simple truth is that we cannot ignore the biological differences between men and women, and the only way to preserve fair competition and safety for female athletes is for the Court to set a precedent that keeps female sports female.”
Earlier this year, Independent Women’s Law Center released the third edition of its Competition: Title IX, Male Athletes, and the Threat To Women’s Sports, which synthesizes the science and explains the changing legal landscape and the future of female athletics. The Competition Report was heavily cited throughout both amicus briefs.
Independent Women’s Features, the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of Independent Women, has shared countless stories of female athletes fighting for fairness in their sports. The stories of athletes harmed by the male takeover of female sports including Payton McNabb, Hannah Arnold, Amy Olson, Cynthia Monteleone, and many others brought national attention to the issue, leading to the passage of President Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
Read West Virginia v. B.P.J. Brief here.
Read Little v. Hecox Brief here.
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