Republican state legislators have introduced two bills to protect girls’ and women’s sports and athletic events. One bill (AB 377) prohibits biological males in K-12 public schools and private schools in the choice program from participating in girls’ sports, and the other bill (AB 378) does the same thing for UW-System schools or tech schools. Both bills allow for biological males "identifying" as female to play on designated co-ed teams.

These bills would mandate gender-based divisions for high school and college sports teams and grant schools the authority to file lawsuits against the NCAA or the federal government if they encounter penalties for not including transgender athletes.

The bills were introduced by state Rep. Barb Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) who has pointed to a poll from the Marquette University Law School in which 71% of respondents support requirements that transgender athletes compete on teams that match their biological sex.

These bills are not only about ensuring that women are given an even playing field, but are also an important part of protecting the safety of female athletes, who could easily be injured by a much larger and stronger player with undeniable biological advantages.

More and more female athletes, like Riley Gaines, are rightly speaking up about the injustice they've experienced because their schools or athletic conferences have allowed biological males to participate in their women’s sports and athletic events.

In recent years, various organizations including the National College Athletics Association (NCAA), the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, and the U.S. Department of Education have implemented measures to permit transgender athletes to participate on teams that align with their "gender identity."

At the federal level, Biden's Department of Education put forward a proposal that would radically re-define “sex” in Title IX to expand the law’s protections to “transgender” individuals. Under this proposal, any space, program, building, bathroom, locker room, or sports team that is separated by sex would be forced to accommodate biological men who believe they are, or “identify” as, women. Schools that rightfully refuse to allow biological males into women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, or on sports teams could lose their federal funding.

A growing number of LGBTQ+ activists are speaking out against the proposal. Dr. Erica E. Anderson, a psychologist who "identifies" as transgender said, “a social transition represents one of the most difficult psychological changes a person can experience. [And] embarking upon a social transition based solely upon the self-attestation of the youth without consultation with parents and appropriate professionals is unwise.”

Thankfully, the Biden administration is expected to miss its self-imposed deadline to issue the new Title IX regulations. However, they will likely come up again in the near future.

In the meantime, let's hope these Wisconsin bills pass in the Republican-controlled legislature, and that Governor Evers, who claims to be pro-woman, signs them both into law. Both bills have public hearings in Assembly committees this Wednesday, October 4. The hearing on AB 378 begins at 9 a.m. in Room 412 East in the State Capitol. The hearing for AB 377 also begins at 9 a.m. in Room 417 North (GAR Hall) in the Capitol. If you are a female athlete with a story, come share it with these committees and explain to them the problem of allowing biological males to participate on your team or in your events.

We urge you to contact your legislators and encourage them to support these common-sense bills! Find your legislators and their contact information HERE. (Just put your address in the appropriate area at the top right.) Thank you! Your voice truly makes a difference!