Transgender Girls in Sports: G.O.P. Pushes New Front in Culture War

In Arkansas, where the governor signed the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” into law last week, the leading proponents were the attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, who is a candidate for governor, and the Arkansas Republican Women’s Caucus. The bill will prohibit transgender participation on female teams from kindergarten through college.

In many instances, lawmakers have worked closely with groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that has argued several Supreme Court cases on behalf of people claiming discrimination because of their traditional beliefs about marriage and gender roles. Providing messaging, polling and political support are groups like the American Principles Project, Concerned Women for America and the Heritage Foundation.

In the ongoing case in Idaho, opponents of the law argued that it was exclusionary, discriminatory and a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing two female college runners who said they had “deflating experiences” after losing to a transgender woman, agreed that the case was about equality, but in the context of creating “a level playing field.”

“When the law ignores the legitimate differences that exist between men and women, it creates chaos,” said Kristen Waggoner, the group’s general counsel. “It also creates enormous unfairness for women and girls in athletics.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/us/politics/transgender-girls-sports.html