WASHINGTON D.C. — As efforts to safeguard women’s sports and spaces continue to gain traction nationwide, the work to preserve fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for women remains a critical and urgent reality. 83% of Americans overwhelmingly support keeping women’s sports female—and momentum is moving in the right direction towards common sense.

Today, May Mailman, Independent Women’s Law Center director and Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador, had the privilege of joining House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Representatives Stephanie Bice (OK-5), Sheri Biggs (SC-3), Kat Cammack (FL-3), Erin Houchin (IN-9), Jen Kiggans (VA-2), Mary Miller (IL-15), and Greg Steube (FL-17) for a conversation about the future of women’s sports and spaces.

[Left] Payton McNabb and House Majority Whip Emmer

[Center] Payton McNabb and May Mailman speaking with Members of Congress

[Right] May Mailman and House Majority Whip Emmer

This meeting comes one week after National Girls and Women in Sports Day; one year after President Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order; and during the Winter Olympics, under the new policy from the International Olympic Committee to protect women’s sports—barring men from competing in the women’s categories—on the world stage.

“Women’s sports exist because women fought for the right to compete on equal footing,” said Payton McNabb, Independent Women ambassador. “Protecting those spaces is about responsibility—to the athletes who came before us and the girls who will come after. I’m thankful for Whip Emmer’s leadership and for his commitment to ensuring women’s sports remain fair and protected.” 

“For decades, women and girls have gained hard-fought opportunities in sports—which have made us healthier, more self-assured, and more resilient,” said May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center and former White House senior advisor. “Protecting those opportunities against men asserting a right to eliminate girls’ bodily privacy, safety, and fairness remains a critical issue. I’m thankful for all the work that President Trump and Republicans in Congress, sadly without any Democrat support, have put in to ensure continual progress for women.”

“Under President Trump and House Republicans, the days of women’s sports being undermined by woke, unfair politics are over,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. “For too long, hardworking female athletes had their titles stolen, their roster spots robbed, and, tragically, some even endured life-altering injuries—all in the name of a progressive ideology that denies basic biology. Republicans say ‘no more.’ We’ve gained a lot of ground in this fight, but we will not stop until every American girl has the opportunity to succeed in her sport.”

Last year on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Independent Women joined President Donald J. Trump for the signing of the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order, which protects equal athletic opportunity for both sexes and prohibits males from participating in athletic programs that are designated for women. This was a monumental step in the right direction.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act shortly before President Trump’s executive order, demonstrating strong support for restoring fairness in women’s athletics. However, Senate Democrats ultimately blocked the bill, abandoning women. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether states can protect women’s sports for females only. The looming questions are how will they determine the definition of a “woman” and how should Title IX be interpreted as it considers two landmark women’s sports cases, West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox.

PROTECTING HER LEGACY: 

Independent Women has been proudly on the front lines of defending women’s privacy, safety, and equal opportunity. Through the organization’s Stand With Women initiative, Independent Women became the original architect of model legislation defining sex-based terms—including “woman” and “man”—to preserve objective reality in law and protect women from erasure. Currently, 18 states have incorporated Independent Women’s sex definitions model into their laws.

Independent Women’s Law Center has also played a key role in shaping the legal conversation through amicus briefs and legal scholarship explaining why Title IX was designed to protect female athletes—not erase them. 

“Competition: Title IX, Male Athletes, and the Threat To Women’s Sports,” a  report by Independent Women’s Law Center, has informed much of its legal apparatus and policy recommendations on this issue, synthesizing the science and explaining the changing legal landscape and the future of female athletics. 

As the Supreme Court weighs the future of women’s sports and Congress considers next steps, Independent Women remains committed to ensuring that policymakers hear directly from the women most affected by these decisions. 

TELL HER STORY, CHANGE THE WORLD:
 In 2022, Payton McNabb was critically injured by a biological male playing in the female category. Independent Women’s Features, the original grassroots journalism arm of Independent Women, first shared her story. Because of Payton’s bravery and advocacy, Independent Women has been able to advance the very simple yet powerful truth: women deserve sports that are fair, safe, and truly for women.

Learn more about these brave ambassador stories:

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