Idaho governor signs Fairness in Women's Sports Act into law
“Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field. Allowing males to compete in girls’ sports destroys fair competition and women’s athletic opportunities. We commend Gov. Little for signing the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act into law so that those opportunities will be protected in Idaho. When the law ignores biological differences, women and girls bear the brunt of the harm. In Connecticut, for example, two males dominated girls’ track after they began competing as females, capturing dozens of championships and shattering long-standing female track records. Comparably fit and trained males will always have physical advantages over females—that’s the reason we have girls’ sports. When we ignore biological reality, female athletes lose medals, podium spots, public recognition, and opportunities to compete. Thanks to Rep. Ehardt, Sen. Souza, and Gov. Little, girls will not face these losses in Idaho and can continue to pursue their dreams.”
The following quote may be attributed to Connecticut high school track athlete Chelsea Mitchell, who, together with other female athletes and their mothers, has filed suit through ADF attorneys to challenge Connecticut’s policy of allowing males to compete in girls’ sports:
“I am so happy that female athletes in Idaho will not have to face an unfair playing field as I have in Connecticut. I have lost four state championships because my state’s policy ignores the physical advantages males have over females in sports and allows males to compete in the girls’ category. Four times I was the fastest female in my race, but I didn’t get the gold medal or the state title; the males in my race took that honor. I have watched this happen over and over again in my sport in Connecticut, as so many girls have been impacted. It isn’t fair, and it isn’t right. We need separate sports categories based on biological sex in order to fairly compete. Idaho has now set the example for other states to follow.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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ABOUT Kristen Waggoner
Kristen Waggoner is the CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom: the world’s largest legal organization advancing every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth. With more than 450 team members in 10 offices worldwide, ADF is at the forefront of today’s most consequential battles in law, public policy, and culture. Under Waggoner’s leadership—first as head of U.S. litigation and now as CEO—ADF has played a role in 80 U.S. Supreme Court victories and won 15 of its own cases before the court, including serving as legal counsel with Mississippi in the landmark Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Waggoner personally argued several of ADF’s Supreme Court cases including the well-known Masterpiece Cakeshop and 303 Creative cases, winning major victories for free expression. She has the honor of leading ADF International, which, like its U.S. counterpart, defends religious liberty, free speech, parental rights, human life, and biological reality around the world. After law school, Waggoner clerked at the Washington Supreme Court and spent over 15 years at a Seattle law firm before joining ADF.