Do Democrats Prioritize Women’s Sports or Yield to Controversial Gender Policies?

Do Democrats Prioritize Women’s Sports or Yield to Controversial Gender Policies?

In February, amid a gathering of young female athletes, President Donald Trump reinforced his commitment to women’s sports by signing the Executive Order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The White House posited a clear message: any athletic program benefiting from federal funding must ensure that only women participate in women’s sports.

It is now imperative to transform this executive order into law. Executive orders can be easily reversed. Should former Vice President Kamala Harris ascend to the presidency in four years, she could swiftly overturn Trump’s directives, thus undermining protections for women and paving the way for men to participate uncontested in women’s sports.

This underscores the urgency for the U.S. Senate to endorse Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville’s proposed legislation, the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025.” This logical law has garnered bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, and now its fate lies with the Senate.

The Senate is expected to vote on this legislation today, March 3, 2025. With all 53 Republican senators backing the bill, seven Democratic senators must join the support for it to be thoroughly considered. This critical decision will reveal whether these senators align with an overwhelming majority of American citizens—79 percent according to recent polling—who believe that boys and men, regardless of self-identification, should not compete in women’s sports.

It is shocking that federal legislation is even necessary to secure such a fundamental principle. The anticipated uncertainty surrounding this outcome is equally startling. Unanimous passage should occur without dissent.

Title IX, enacted in 1972, was designed to guarantee women equal access to educational opportunities, including those in sports. Historically, the importance of establishing separate leagues for women has been universally acknowledged to ensure fair competition.

Men possess inherent physical advantages that significantly impact athletic performance. Male bodies generally demonstrate greater size, strength, and speed, alongside larger cardiovascular capacity and numerous other biological advantages. These disparities allow men’s world records to outshine those of women consistently.

Permitting men to compete in women’s sports undermines the level playing field that Title IX intended to create. Women face diminished chances of winning or securing a team spot, not to mention an increased risk of serious injuries, which we have increasingly seen in sports where female athletes compete against men.

The critical question remains whether Democratic senators will remain beholden to the fringe elements of political ideologies, sidelining women’s rights and safety for the sake of political correctness.

Rank-and-file Democratic women are increasingly alarmed as their party appears to align itself with radical gender ideology that dismisses biological differences. Prominent figures like Kara Dansky, author of “The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls,” tennis champion Martina Navratilova, and advocates from the Women’s Liberation Front articulate this concern, labeling it a resurgence of misogyny masquerading as progressive policy.

This legislative vote bears significant implications for female athletes competing in colleges and schools nationwide. Will Democratic senators affirm that women deserve the same opportunities to excel in athletics and safely engage in competition? Or will they endorse a trend that could hinder young girls’ aspirations for scholarships in sports, as they face potential displacement by men claiming female identities?

Furthermore, this issue extends beyond athletics. The actions of Democratic senators will signal their stance on the rights of women currently suffering in prisons, where male offenders, including violent sex offenders, exploit the system to access women’s facilities. Women and girls must also contend with unsettling realities: men, including registered sex offenders, in their locker rooms while they change.

Where do these Democratic senators stand? Will they advocate for women or will they opt to side against them? The answer will be evident in the results of today’s vote.

Victoria Coley, a former all-star at Clemson club lacrosse and advocate for Clemson’s Division I status, serves as the vice president of communications at Independent Women.