CV News Feed // The United Nations recently urged the Biden Administration to protect female athletes who are being forced to compete against men who identify as female in sporting activities.
On December 27, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls Reem Alsalem sent a letter to the United States government urging leaders to reconsider proposed Title IX changes that would allow greater access to men who identify as women to participate in women’s sports.
Alsalem wrote,
I share the concern expressed by women and girl athletes and women sports associations, as well as women and girls on sports scholarships, that the proposed Title IX rule changes would have detrimental effects on the participation of biological women and girls in sports, including by denying them the opportunity to compete fairly, resulting in the loss of athletic and scholarship opportunities.
Title IX was passed in 1972 to eliminate obstacles that many women faced while obtaining an education, especially in college. The main premise of Title IX states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
On April 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education proposed amendments to the current Title IX policies. Included in the document was a proposal to base an athlete’s eligibility for athletic participation off of grade level and education achievement and less so about their gender. This proposal would allow easier access for men who identify as female to participate in women’s sports.
In addition to this change, the April 6 proposal also requested that an amendment be made to eliminate single-sex shower and locker room facilities.
Alsalem said that the Title IX changes would “lead to the loss of privacy, an increased risk of physical injury, heightened exposure to sexual harassment and voyeurism, as well as more frequent and accumulated psychological distress due to the loss of privacy and fair and equal sporting and academic opportunities.”
Alsalem noted that men have historically been separated from competing against women because of their biological advantage.
“Barring rare exceptions, sport has globally been separated into male and female categories because of male performance advantages throughout the life cycle,” she said.
Asalem added that there are ways to ensure fair competition while also making sure that all people are included, which doesn’t compromise the dignity and safety of women.
“Applying non-invasive means of confirming the sex of the student and the establishment of open categories would maintain fairness in sports for female athletes,” Alsalem said, “while broadening opportunities for participation by all, irrespective of gender identity, in line with the course of actions taken by several sports associations.”
The United Nations letter was met with high praise from various organizations across the U.S.
Representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal firm that supports traditional values, thanked the United Nations for addressing this issue.
“Women and girls deserve privacy in their facilities and fairness on the playing field, but the administration is trying to roll back these hard-won achievements by opening up women’s spaces to men,” stated Kristen Waggoner, CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom:
The Special Rapporteur’s initiative, consistent with her mandate to protect women and girls from violence, shows that there is strong international support for protecting their rights to privacy, safety, and equal opportunities.
