The debate over transgenderism and women’s rights, particularly regarding women’s sports, is one of the most important debates of the day. But noticeably missing from it are prominent female athletes willing to defend women’s sports. Their silence is deafening as women and girls are being forced to compete against , undress in front of, and be exposed to the naked bodies of men and boys.

Recently, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 734 , known as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which prohibits men and boys from playing on sports teams designated for women and girls. The bill is considered “dead on arrival” in the Senate, and President Joe Biden indicated he would veto the legislation if it ever reached his desk. Further undermining the bill’s chances of passing is an open letter signed by well-known female athletes Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird that advocates against the passage of H.R 734 and in favor of men and boys being allowed to compete on female sports teams.

Where are the statements in support of H.R. 734 from high-profile, prominent female athletes such as Serena or Venus Williams, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Allyson Felix, or Lindsey Vonn? Where is their open letter praising its passing? Where are their Instagram posts or other social media offerings demanding Senate Democrats support the bill and that Biden sign it?

In fact, where are their statements, separate and apart from H.R. 734, expressing concern that, in sport after sport , female athletes are losing podium spots and advancement opportunities because they are having to compete against men and boys? A cursory glance at these sports titans’ social media accounts reveals they have no problem leveraging their influence when there is a financial benefit, such as for endorsement deals. Yet when it comes to standing up for women’s sports, they are missing in action.

By remaining silent, these women are pulling up the ladder behind them and leaving up-and-coming female athletes to the wolves. Speaking as a U.S. Army veteran and woman for whom sports, fitness, and athletics are an important part of my life, this is dishonorable behavior.

This is not a partisan matter despite how it is often framed by those invested in keeping us divided. The issue of men who identify as transgender participating in women’s sports is strictly a matter of fairness, the irrefutable cornerstone of sporting competition. Why have separate categories for men and women if men are allowed to compete on women’s teams? The reason we separate sports by sex to begin with is because males have physiological advantages over females that would make competition between them unfair for women and girls. These sex-based advantages are not eliminated simply because the men and boys in question are transgender. Athletes play sports with their bodies, not their identities.

Successful female athletes know this. And the uncomfortable truth is that had they been required to compete against men and boys as they progressed through their sport’s competitive ranks, we would not know their names. Serena Williams openly stated that she would not play an exhibition tennis match against Andy Murray because she would not win a single game.

Brave women, athletes and otherwise, fought valiantly to bring about the passage of Title IX and provide female athletes with the vast array of opportunities that are available to them today. Prominent female athletes must now take up the mantle. They must find their courage and stand up for fairness and integrity in women’s sports. Up-and-coming female athletes deserve the same opportunity for female-only competition that today’s high-profile female athletes have enjoyed throughout their careers and to which they owe their extraordinary success.

It is time to make a choice. Choose fairness. Choose truth. Choose women and girls.

Kaia Wright is a United States Army veteran, a sports enthusiast, and an attorney living in Tampa, Florida.