Seventeen House Republicans called for the NCAA to ban transgender athletes who were born male from competing in women's sports.
Led by Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., the lawmakers urged NCAA President Charlie Baker to protect Title IX and its intended purpose as they contend "collegiate women's sports remain under attack."
Critics argue that Title IX, the 1972 statue that banned sex-based discrimination in program and activities in education, will be rendered meaningless if men are allowed to participate in women's sports.
"We are deeply concerned about the future of women's sports and upholding the critical Title IX protections for women's sports with the NCAA's current policies. We urge the NCAA to follow the NAIA's lead on this issue and prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports," the letter reads.
The call from Republicans follows the move last week by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) which announced it will ban transgender women from participating in women's sports. The national small-college organization's Council of Presidents approved the measure in a 20-0 vote that states that only students who were born female can compete in women's sports.
The letter sites a 2022 study: "Transwomen Elite Athletes: Their Extra Percentage Relative to Female Physiology," which confirms that males have "natural advantages" in athletic competitions. Quoting from the study, the letter continues, "Estrogen therapy will not reverse most athletic performance parameters, it follows that transgender women will enter the female division with an inherent advantage because of their prior male physiology."
In her letter to the NCAA, Tenney also called out South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Before her team's NCAA title win over Iowa on April 7, Staley said trans athletes should be allowed to play on women's teams.
Staley's comments were rebuked by women's sports advocate Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, who called Staley a "sellout."
Tenney's letter continued: "This statement ignores the biological facts and would harm female athletes throughout NCAA-affiliated schools. It is simply unfair for biological males to be allowed to compete against biological females. On top of that, allowing biological males to participate in women's sports erodes critical Title IX protections for women."
The letter concludes by reminding Baker that University of Florida swimmer Emma Weyant had her championship opportunity taken from her by a male and said, "This cannot be allowed to ever happen again."