There has been a struggle going on over next door and I believe we can help. The people of Idaho have been struggling to preserve the opportunity for their girls to compete in sports.

Last month, Gov. Brad Little of our neighbor state, Idaho, signed legislation declaring opportunities intended for girls to compete in High School sports, which provides access to scholarships for college, should remain open only for biological girls.

Sponsored by female legislators, Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) and Sen. Mary Souza (R-Coeur d’Alene), the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act  would end recent policies forcing girls to compete against biological boys in girls’ sports if the boys receive cross-sex hormones for one year.

Most Americans believe that boys should not play in girls’ high school and college sports—a common-sense approach that was legally buttressed with the advent of Title IX in 1972. Yet that which was once unthinkable is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in school sports around the country. It has gotten so bad that three female high school track runners in Connecticut have sued their state athletic organization because several boys, who say they’re girls, keep winning girl championships, breaking records of girls, and taking opportunities from hardworking girls.

The two sexes have physiological, psychological, and anatomical differences, some of which are self-evident even to the casual observer and some which can only be seen through a microscope. Remarkably, even though both sexes share many of the same genes, some of those genes function differently in men and women.

Because it is a scientific fact that biological sex is immutable and there are measurable differences between male and female, it is sometimes appropriate for governments to implement policies that recognize these differences—for example, sex-segregated bathrooms, sex-specific public health guidelines or sex-specific athletic teams.

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act recognizes the common-sense truth that boys should not play on girls’ teams. That girls should not be deprived of athletic opportunities, victories, and scholarships because they were forced to compete against boys.

Ask any student athlete, high school coach, or parent—allowing biological men to perform in women’s sports unfairly puts women and girls at a competitive disadvantage. The size, strength, bone structure, lung volume, and heart supply of the average male far outpaces most elite female athletes, even after the biological male undergoes hormone therapy.

This legislation doesn’t exclude anyone from sports. Instead, it simply requires that boys compete with boys and girls compete with girls—and that’s something we all should agree on.

Family Policy Alliance® was on the front lines in Idaho—sharing information with legislators, informing the public, and mobilizing concerned citizens. Now, The ACLU and others are threatening Idaho because of their stand for their girls.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that legislative precedent in the Rocky Mountain West influences the State of Wyoming. In Wyoming, we share a long border with Idaho. Many have family there or travel back and forth between the two states. I am asking you to reach out and support Gov. Little for his stand. Call your neighbors in Idaho and let them know that Wyoming supports them in their struggle to protect opportunities for their girls. A stand in support of our neighbors is a stand for Wyoming as well.

Sincerely,

Nathan Winters
Executive Director

Last month, Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) signed into law the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which protects the integrity of girls’ sports by limiting participation to biological women.

That momentous victory came after Family Policy Alliance of Idaho shepherded the bill to a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers and to the governor’s desk for a signature. Thousands of you wrote letters encouraging him to sign or thanking him when he signed – your voice was heard!

Despite the overwhelming support for this common-sense and groundbreaking law in Idaho and across the nation,  the ACLU threatened that victory by filing a lawsuit against the state. Your voice is needed now to encourage the Idaho Attorney General to vigorously defend the law.

The ACLU wants a federal court to strike down the law and allow boys to compete in girls’ sports – even though this puts girls at a great disadvantage because boys often have greater muscle mass, lung capacity, and bone density than female athletes. When boys compete in girls’ categories, the competition can be over before it even begins.

We need your help to stop the ACLU’s attempt to deny athletic opportunities for girls.

This law is the first of its kind in the nation, so it’s important that we defend it. We need to make sure our daughters are protected and pave the way for other states to adopt similar protections.

Without Fairness in Women’s Sports, even the most talented female athletes will enter sporting competitions knowing that they may lose to a biological male. That’s what happened in Connecticut, where three track stars are suing because they lost out on championships and other opportunities when biological boys (who said they were girls) beat them at a state track meet.

Let’s put an end to that trend – starting in Idaho. Please take 30 seconds to send a message to Idaho’s Attorney General, Lawrence Wasden, and ask him to vigorously defend this law.

When you wrote to Governor Little, your message was loud and clear: Our girls are counting on fair competition. Help us send Attorney General Wasden the same message to protect sports in Idaho and reignite a trend of fair sports nationwide.

Will you join us?

Blaine Conzatti

Advocacy Director
Family Policy Alliance of Idaho

Late yesterday, Gov. Brad Little of Idaho signed into law two measures that are the first of their kind in the nation. Please join us in thanking Gov. Little by sending him a message.

 

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27, NKJV).

Friends,

The Bible teaches that God created all of humankind as male and female. These two sexes have physiological, psychological, and anatomical differences—many of which are self-evident even to the casual observer.

Some of these differences are so obvious that they can be visually observed. Some can only be seen through a microscope. Remarkably, even though both sexes share many of the same genes, some of those genes function differently in men and women.

Because it is a scientific fact that biological sex is immutable and there are measurable differences between male and female, it is sometimes appropriate for governments to implement policies that recognize these differences—for example, sex-segregated bathrooms, sex-specific public health guidelines or sex-specific athletic teams.

That’s why I’m so excited to share the progress made this year by the State of Idaho in respecting the real and measurable differences between male and female. The Gem State is leading the way in preserving important sex distinctions that have been indispensable in protecting opportunities and safety for women.

First, consider our Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which was just signed by Idaho Governor Brad Little. Most Americans believe that boys shouldn’t play in girls’ high school and college sports—a common-sense approach that was legally buttressed with the advent of Title IX in 1972.

Yet that which was once unthinkable is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in school sports around the country. It has gotten so bad that three female high school track runners in Connecticut have sued their state athletic organization because several boys, who say they’re girls, keep winning championships, breaking records, and taking opportunities from hardworking girls.

That’s why the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which ensures only biological females can play in girls’ school sports, was so necessary. This brand-new law will help save girls’ sports and preserve athletic opportunities for our daughters!

Second, state lawmakers passed the Idaho Vital Statistics Act, which ensures the accuracy of birth certificates, the most important state vital record.

A few years back, the U.S. District Court of Idaho engaged in a gross act of judicial activism, redefining “sex” as fluid and self-determined, and ultimately overturning state policy that required the “sex” marker on birth certificates match an individual’s biological sex.

The Idaho Vital Statistics Act restores factual accuracy to birth certificates by preventing people from changing their sex marker on their birth certificates.

Without accurate birth certificates, law enforcement officials will have a harder time identifying suspects and victims, and public health officials can’t compile accurate statistics. Furthermore, just imagine the mess that occurs in the criminal justice system and in women’s domestic violence shelters when it becomes impossible to quickly and conclusively determine a person’s biological sex.

Family Policy Alliance of Idaho was on the front lines for both of these bills—sharing information with legislators, informing the public, and mobilizing Idahoans.  We worked closely with the legislative sponsors to enact laws that restore common sense in these areas.

Will you join us in thanking Gov. Little? With all of the attacks that he is getting from the ACLU and others, I know he’d appreciate hearing from people around the country who value his actions.

And for everyone who stands with Family Policy Alliance through your prayers, your actions, and your financial support, thank you for making these victories possible—in Idaho and throughout the nation in the days to come.

Sincerely,

Blaine Conzatti
Director of Advocacy
Family Policy Alliance of Idaho