Nine Republican governors signed a letter to the NCAA asking it to revise “misguided policies” and prevent males from competing in women’s sports.
“Policies that allow men and women to compete against one another validate an average male athlete stealing the recognition from a truly remarkable female athlete,” reads the letter, dated Tuesday.
The NCAA currently allows the national governing body of each sport to determine a policy on transgender competitors.
“Science proves that it is fundamentally unfair for a biological male to compete against a biological female — that does not change when someone declares themselves as being of a different gender,” the letter states, citing that the National Institute for Health found a 10 percent difference between the top performing males and females in athletic competition.
The letter references Allyson Felix, an American track-and-field athlete with 25 Olympic and World Championship medals, whose lifetime best in the 400-meter race is 49.62 seconds. The governors write that “hundreds of high school aged boys have run faster times than that,” and science proves that “male and female bodies are biologically different.”
The letter was signed by governors Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Sarah Sanders of Arkansas, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Greg Gianforte of Montana, Joe Lombardo of Texas, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Greg Abbott of Texas, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
“Due to the lack of action at the federal level, governors have become the last line of defense for protecting fairness in women’s and girls’ sports,” reads the letter.
The letter references the story of Riley Gaines, who tied with male Lia Thomas for fifth in the women’s 200-meter race at the NCAA swimming championships.
“Traditionally, when two swimmers tie, they both stand on top of the podium — but Riley was told that the trophy was going to be given to Lia,” the letter states. “Riley’s lifetime of achievement was ripped away from her by someone who shouldn’t have even been in the race — all for a photo op.”
The governors warn that if the NCAA’s “misguided policies” persist, “stories like Riley Gaines’ will only become more common.”
The letter is addressed to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport but also references Charlie Baker, who served as a Republican governor for eight years in Massachusetts and became the NCAA president in March.