FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2020
Thanks to Trump’s DOJ, #SaveGirlsSports Campaign Kicks Off
Family Policy Alliance praises DOJ move to support Idaho’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports” law
BOISE, Idaho – Family Policy Alliance and their state partner, Family Policy Alliance of Idaho, kicked off the nationwide #SaveGirlsSports campaign today to celebrate the Department of Justice’s move this afternoon to file a motion of support for Idaho’s first-in-the-nation law to save girls’ sports, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.
The Act was passed and signed into law by Governor Brad Little in March and reserves girls’ sports for biological girls. The ACLU, who once championed girls’ sports and the passage of Title IX, ironically filed a lawsuit against Idaho’s groundbreaking law in April – seeking to allow boys to steal the girls’ athletic opportunities they once championed.
Autumn Leva, Vice President of Strategy for Family Policy Alliance, praised the Department of Justice for their move in support of Idaho’s law:
“The ACLU once championed girls’ sports—now they fight to turn boys into girls’ sports champions. The time to save girls’ sports is now, and the DOJ’s support for Idaho’s female athletes—and female athletes across the country who stand to benefit from laws like Idaho’s—couldn’t have come at a better time. We invite everyone to join the #SaveGirlsSports movement to stand with Idaho, President Trump’s DOJ, and all female athletes.”
The #SaveGirlsSports campaign includes a petition available to sign on the webpage, a nationwide social media campaign, and a “Save Girls’ Sports Week” (June 21-27) over the 48th anniversary of Title IX on June 23rd. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs – including athletic programs. President Trump’s Department of Education recently ruled in a separate case that a Connecticut policy allowing boys to play in girls’ sports was a violation of Title IX – lending support to the cause of Save Girls’ Sports.
To participate in the Save Girls’ Sports Campaign, individuals and organizations are encouraged to use #SaveGirlsSports to post their stories of the importance of girls’ sports in their own lives, and their support for laws like Idaho’s. Individuals can also add the campaign logo to their Facebook profile picture using the campaign’s eye-catching Facebook frame.
Blaine Conzatti, Advocacy Director for Family Policy Alliance of Idaho, the leading family policy organization in the state that shepherded the novel “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” into law, also welcomed the DOJ’s support for his state’s law.
“The very nature of sports requires a fair playing field. I’m proud of Idaho for leading the way to save girls’ sports. The ACLU has abandoned women’s sports, and the Supreme Court even abandoned women in certain employment situations in their recent Bostock decision. Idaho is proud to take the baton in advancing women’s athletic opportunities, and we’re proud to have the DOJ’s support for our efforts.”
The DOJ’s supportive brief made clear that the Constitution does not contain a “secret sauce” that permits male athletes (who self-identify as female) to take athletic opportunities from girls:
“[T]he Equal Protection Clause permits Idaho to ensure equal athletic opportunities for girls and women by limiting some athletic competitions and teams to biological females. As part of ensuring equal opportunities, Idaho may prevent biological ‘males [from] displac[ing] females.’ … Plaintiffs have not provided and cannot provide any explanation for why the Equal Protection Clause entitles transgender athletes to these benefits at the expense of their biological female peers.” (p.9)
The debate over sex and gender has come to a boiling point—and the need for #SaveGirlsSports is critical.
Media Contact:
Robert Noland, (719) 308-2822, Media@FamilyPolicyAlliance.com
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Family Policy Alliance works to advance biblical citizenship and promote good public policy that protects religious freedom, families, and life.