OPINION:
Gov. Tony Evers is making Wisconsin a national embarrassment after including language in his state budget proposal that changes the definition of mother to inseminated person. To be clear, I am not sending my mom a “Happy Inseminated Person” card on Mother’s Day. She is the woman who gave birth to me, and that makes her my mother. Don’t mess with moms.
Caught on camera days after the story broke, Mr. Evers stumbled and falsely tried to claim that the language was about in vitro fertilization. This claim is just a cover for more of their radical woke agenda. Canceling motherhood is just another attack on women.
Last week, President Trump addressed governors from across the nation. During his remarks, he mentioned his actions to protect women in sports. He singled out Maine as refusing to uphold his executive order keeping men out of women’s sports. He directly called out Gov. Janet Mills, who is willing to go to court to keep him from protecting women in sports.
A poll shows Ms. Mills has the highest disapproval rating since she took office in 2018. The survey was conducted before the tense exchange with the president, so her numbers could worsen as residents realize that Maine is the only state not honoring the executive order.
In Wisconsin, the liberal candidate running for the state Supreme Court refuses to answer what she thinks about men in women’s sports. Mr. Evers has endorsed Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford. She has not questioned Mr. Evers’ recommendation to replace mother with the phrase “inseminated person” in state law. The media should ask her what she thinks of his outrageous proposal.
Thankfully, there are places where people are fighting back and winning. Administrators at the University of Alabama recently introduced a nondiscrimination clause for all clauses that included “gender identity, gender expression, [and] sexual identity.” They required all clubs to update their constitutions with this exact language.
The leaders of the Young Americans for Freedom chapter on campus decided to fight back. They informed the school that they would not add the language. The school denied their renewal application and barred them from hosting meetings or events on campus.
The chapter leaders contacted the Alabama attorney general and formally complained to the university president. Within a day, the administrators informed the YAF chapter leaders that they would be exempt from having to include their language. This is a massive win for YAF and other groups on campus.
Radicals are counting on conservatives to sit back and take it. When we fight back, however, we win.
After Mr. Trump signed his executive order, the National Collegiate Athletic Association changed its policy on men competing in women’s sports. Organizations such as the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association followed suit. Ultimately, we need to change federal and state laws to permanently protect women in sports.
In the end, the issue is about fairness. No one would suggest that allowing a 19-year-old woman to swim against a group of 9-year-old girls is fair. A 250-pound man should be unable to box in the men’s lightweight class. It would not be fair. The same is true for athletes who were born male and want to compete against women in sports such as swimming, track and field, and boxing.
Last year, the Biden administration proposed changes to Title IX that changed protections for women to include gender. These changes would have allowed penalties for those who questioned men competing in women’s sports. Young America’s Foundation went to court to block these proposed rules. We won an injunction. Thankfully, the Trump administration eliminated the rules proposed by the prior administration that would have penalized brave students who spoke up about this issue.
The women’s swim team members at Roanoke College are a good example. They announced about a year and a half ago that they would not compete if forced to swim with an athlete who had previously competed as a male. Their co-captain heard Dr. Ben Carson talk about courage on campus for Young America’s Foundation. Her mother said that this speech encouraged her to stand up, and she encouraged her teammates to join her. They inspired others across the country to do the same. These athletes are now protected from the crazy requirements President Biden proposed.
News about Mr. Evers’ recent budget proposal to label a mother an “inseminated person” should remind us all of how radical many liberals are today. We need to expose the public to these outrageous proposals. We must show contempt for these crazy ideas and encourage others to do the same. We must fight back. When we do, we win.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation. He served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.