Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) / X
CV NEWS FEED // Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hosted a panel this week featuring retired collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines and other pro-woman advocates, where they discussed the importance of protecting women and girls from gender ideology.
“At a time when the very principle of Title IX is under attack, these women are fighting to protect the rights of every female,” Johnson posted on X after the panel.
Gaines, North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and Independent Women’s Voices CEO Heather Higgins participated in the panel in honor of the 52nd anniversary of Title IX. C-SPAN.org broadcasted the panel on June 26.
The panel comes several months after the Biden Administration’s Department of Education announced a pro-LGBT rewrite of Title IX, expanding the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity.” According to the Department of Education’s website, the new rule, which is not yet in effect, prohibits “discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, critics blasted the change for putting women and girls’ privacy and safety at risk. Several lawsuits have also been brought against the Title IX rewrite.
During the panel, Foxx spoke about the history of Title IX. She said that when it first passed in 1972, “that was a time when Democrats knew what the difference was between a man and woman.”
“Times have changed,” she continued. “Everyone understood at the time that women were being disadvantaged and not being treated fairly. And so the idea was to make sure that women had the same opportunities as men in terms of sports, and so scholarships were developed for women in sports.”
During her time speaking, Gaines shared that she was indebted to pro-woman advocates such as Foxx, but she didn’t fully recognize the importance of Title IX until her time as a collegiate swimmer in 2022.
“I didn’t really recognize what was at stake, let’s put it that way, until I was directly impacted, until I suffered the injustice,” Gaines said, adding, “We all did, at that National Championships of competing against a man – a six foot four, man.”
>> Riley Gaines at House Title IX Hearing: ‘Common-Sense Americans Know This is Unfair’ <<
Gaines said, “We felt the betrayal in the locker room space,” previously noting that the man who competed against the female athletes in the championship exposed himself in the women’s locker rooms.
At the time, the universities “effectively silenced and muzzled” the female athletes who wanted to speak out, Gaines added.
>> Standing Up For Women is a Dangerous Game: CV Exclusive: Riley Gaines Interview <<
However, radical gender ideology has not only affected sports, Gaines said. It has also affected sororities, prisons, and domestic violence shelters.
Further, it has affected the English language, she said.
“Notice we’re referring to ourselves as ‘biological women,’” Gaines said. “What a silly thing, what a silly, redundant thing, as if we’re not made, all of us, made of biological matter. Why are we even doing that?”
Gaines shared that initially, she thought using preferred pronouns was the right thing to do, and explained, “I thought that’s what respect was. That’s what they told us respect was.”
But using the biologically incorrect pronouns during an interview early-on in the Championships controversy made her feel guilty and ashamed of herself, Gaines shared.
“I felt like I had just entirely ignored the instincts, the gut instinct, that I had for so long,” Gaines said, adding, “of course, we all knew it was wrong, we all knew it was unfair.”
Gaines said that the movement of gender ideology “has a chokehold on the American people,” noting that it is prevalent in media, academics, and corporate America.
>> Riley Gaines Gives Powerful Testimony Against ‘Trans’ Agenda in Sports <<
When Higgins spoke during the panel, she expressed appreciation for being able to represent non-athletes at the panel, and said, “You don’t have to be an athlete to be very worried about what’s going on with the gender ideology fight.”
She echoed Gaines’ point that women’s sports, sororities, and prisons have been affected by gender ideology. De-transitioners have been harmed as well.
“This gender ideology fight has many, many different facets,” Higgins said.
Johnson asked Higgins what her advice is for parents and those concerned about the future of women’s sports.
Higgins responded, “Well, we really first want to encourage them to be involved. The more voices, the better.”
She added that Independent Women’s Voices testified more than 50 times in state legislatures in 2023.
These testimonies mostly consisted of people sharing their personal stories, Higgins said. Independent Women’s Vo Women’s Voices website features stories of women who were affected and harmed by gender ideology in sororities, prisons, and sports.
Higgins encouraged women to share their stories, and said, “[T]he more stories there are, that’s how we change the narrative. That’s how we change the public mind.”
