Latest news with #ProtectionofWomenandGirlsinSportsAct
Mint
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Oregon high school girls REFUSE to stand with trans athlete on podium — Martina Navratilova reacts
Two Oregon high school athletes made headlines over the weekend after refusing to share the winners' podium with a transgender competitor at the girls' high jump state championships. Reese Eckard (Sherwood High School) and Alexa Anderson (Tigard High School) stepped down from the podium after a transgender athlete placed fifth. Anderson had placed third, while Eckard took fourth. Tennis legend and outspoken advocate for women's sports, Martina Navratilova, responded strongly to the incident on X (formerly Twitter). "Women and girls are punished no matter what they do in this misogynistic world…" Navratilova wrote. She added, "Feminists never asked for this. At least not the great majority of us… never." Navratilova responded to the growing debate on X (formerly Twitter), emphasising that women are being unfairly targeted for protesting rules they didn't create. "Stop blaming women for this. Women do not make the rules," she replied to a social media user's post. "Majority of women are against it too. Women get punished no matter what they do." Addressing the consequences faced by athletes who refuse to compete under current regulations, Navratilova added: "Because not competing can get you banned from the sport. The rules must change, and those are made by men mostly." In a broader critique of gender dynamics in sport and society, Navratilova continued in another reply to a user's comment: "The world is misogynistic, the world is patriarchal, and most of the rules are made by men. And all of the danger comes from men." Navratilova has repeatedly criticised Democratic lawmakers for not acting to protect women's sports. Earlier this year, she condemned Democrats for blocking the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. "I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women's sports being for females only," she said. Calling for stronger action, she urged: "Grow a spine." Navratilova referenced President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, which was signed in February. She lamented that Democrats failed to support similar efforts. She questioned Democratic priorities, asking: "What are the Dems willing to give up for men who identify as trans? Abortion… the Constitution… rule of law… That's just for starters…" The incident and Navratilova's comments reignite an ongoing national debate around transgender participation in women's sports—a debate that continues to divide public figures, lawmakers, and athletic communities across the US.
Fox News
02-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacts as Oregon HS girls refuse to share podium with trans athlete
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacted to two Oregon high school athletes who refused to stand with a transgender athlete following the girls' high jump state championships on Saturday. Reese Eckard, of Sherwood High School, and Alexa Anderson, of Tigard High School, stepped down from the podium and refused to share the spot with the transgender athlete who finished in fifth place. Anderson finished in third and Eckard in fourth. Footage obtained by Fox News Digital showed an official confronting Eckard and Anderson. "Women and girls are punished no matter what they do in this misogynistic world…" Navratilova wrote on X. She added that "Feminists never asked for this. At least not the great majority of us… never." Navratilova has been a major voice in the effort to protect women's sports. She has been particularly critical of Democrats who have failed to step up to the plate, with their Republican colleagues, to help pass legislation to prohibit males from competing in girls' and women's sports. At the start of the year, Navratilova criticized Democratic lawmakers who killed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The tennis legend called on Democrats to "grow a spine" in a post on social media. President Donald Trump signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order in February, and Navratilova lamented that Democrats failed to do what the president did. "I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women's sports being for females only," she wrote in a post on X. She then posed a question to Democrats as some states thumbed their nose at Trump's executive order. "What are the Dems willing to give up for men who identify as trans?" she asked on X. "Abortion… the Constitution… rule of law… That's just for starters…" Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion - With their trans stance, Democrats are pushing women right out of their party
Last week, a group of feminist activists met with various members of Congress to discuss women's sex-based rights. The group was led by members of the Women's Liberation Front, an unapologetically radical feminist organization that supports women and girls as a sex class and opposes the inclusion of men in female-only sports and spaces. One of the women in attendance was Irene Lawrence, a board member of Women's Declaration International USA. The group's meeting with Sen John Fetterman's (D-Pa.) staff in particular could not have gone worse. According to Julia Hing, Fetterman chief of staff Jason Smith reportedly mocked a rape survivor and accused the women of lying about the importance of female-only spaces. When they told him that women are leaving the Democratic Party over such treatment, he reportedly responded, 'Good. Leave. Go.' Then he threw them out of his office. Liberal activists like these have long formed a core constituency for Democrats. But if Democrats keep asking liberal women to leave their party, then guess what — they will leave. And they are leaving. The Women's Liberation Front and Women's Declaration International USA support the rights of women and girls to have female-only spaces and sports. Both groups oppose the inclusion of men and boys on the basis that men and boys claim to have 'female gender identities.' I know this, having previously served on the boards of both organizations. Women's Declaration International USA has published a Lesbian Bill of Rights. It has a Black Women's Caucus that has published a Statement Against Gender Ideology. It has a Desisted and Detransitioned Women's Caucus that has published a similar bill of rights. All of these groups and statements are grounded in radical feminist thinking and are designed to protect women and girls as a sex class. Fetterman was among the Senate Democrats who voted to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in March. Before the vote, the group Democratic Women's Declaration worked with women in nine states to secure meetings with their Democratic senators. Constituents in each of those states requested meetings with their senators to discuss the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Tennis champion and loyal Democrat Martina Navratilova agreed to meet virtually with any and every Democratic Senator who was willing to discuss the topic. Every single Democratic Senator we reached out to either ignored or denied their constituents' meeting requests. And every single one of them snubbed Navratilova. All Senate Democrats, other than Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich), who didn't cast a vote, voted to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Since that included Fetterman, perhaps the behavior of his staff is unsurprising, if still reprehensible. He accused women of lying when they said that men are being housed in women's prisons — which is true, by the way. Men are indeed being housed in women's prisons. He denied that lesbians deserve their own spaces. He told a bunch of women, most of whom have probably always voted for Democrats, to leave his party. I can attest to the fact that women are indeed leaving the Democratic Party over this exact issue — and plenty of men, too, although that already gets enough attention. I hear from these women all the time, but don't take my word for it. Just check out the post-election polling from Blueprint. Check out the New York Times polling from January. Voters across the country have had it with the Democrats, in large part because of the party's stubborn insistence on embracing gender identity and all things transgender. In 2023, I published a book warning them that, as a lifelong Democrat, I was extremely frustrated that they were sacrificing women and girls at the altar of gender identity. I warned them of what was coming in November 2024 if they didn't change course. They didn't, and here we are. Kara Dansky is author of The TERF Report newsletter and the book 'The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
With their trans stance, Democrats are pushing women right out of their party
Last month, a group of feminist activists met with various members of Congress to discuss women's sex-based rights. The group was led by members of the Women's Liberation Front, an unapologetically radical feminist organization that supports women and girls as a sex class and opposes the inclusion of men in female-only sports and spaces. One of the women in attendance was Irene Lawrence, a board member of Women's Declaration International USA. The group's meeting with Sen John Fetterman's (D-Pa.) staff in particular could not have gone worse. According to Julia Hing, Fetterman chief of staff Jason Smith reportedly mocked a rape survivor and accused the women of lying about the importance of female-only spaces. When they told him that women are leaving the Democratic Party over such treatment, he reportedly reponded, 'Good. Leave. Go.' Then he threw them out of his office. Liberal activists like these have long formed a core constituency for Democrats. But if Democrats keep asking liberal women to leave their party, then guess what — they will leave. And they are leaving. The Women's Liberation Front and Women's Declaration International USA support the rights of women and girls to have female-only spaces and sports. Both groups oppose the inclusion of men and boys on the basis that men and boys claim to have 'female gender identities.' I know this, having previously served on the boards of both organizations. Women's Declaration International USA has published a Lesbian Bill of Rights. It has a Black Women's Caucus that has published a Statement Against Gender Ideology. It has a Desisted and Detransitioned Women's Caucus that has published a similar bill of rights. All of these groups and statements are grounded in radical feminist thinking and are designed to protect women and girls as a sex class. Fetterman was among the Senate Democrats who voted to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in March. Before the vote, the group Democratic Women's Declaration worked with women in nine states to secure meetings with their Democratic senators. Constituents in each of those states requested meetings with their senators to discuss the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Tennis champion and loyal Democrat Martina Navratilova agreed to meet virtually with any and every Democratic Senator who was willing to discuss the topic. Every single Democratic Senator we reached out to either ignored or denied their constituents' meeting requests. And every single one of them snubbed Navratilova. All Senate Democrats, other than Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich), who didn't cast a vote, voted to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Since that included Fetterman, perhaps the behavior of his staff is unsurprising, if still reprehensible. He accused women of lying when they said that men are being housed in women's prisons — which is true, by the way. Men are indeed being housed in women's prisons. He denied that lesbians deserve their own spaces. He told a bunch of women, most of whom have probably always voted for Democrats, to leave his party. I can attest to the fact that women are indeed leaving the Democratic Party over this exact issue — and plenty of men, too, although that already gets enough attention. I hear from these women all the time, but don't take my word for it. Just check out the post-election polling from Blueprint. Check out the New York Times polling from January. Voters across the country have had it with the Democrats, in large part because of the party's stubborn insistence on embracing gender identity and all things transgender. In 2023, I published a book warning them that, as a lifelong Democrat, I was extremely frustrated that they were sacrificing women and girls at the altar of gender identity. I warned them of what was coming in November 2024 if they didn't change course. They didn't, and here we are. Kara Dansky is author of The TERF Report newsletter and the book 'The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls.'
Fox News
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova asks Dems what they're 'willing to give up for men who identify as trans'
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has championed fairness in girls' and women's sports and has hit out at Democratic lawmakers who have failed to show support for her and others. Navratilova on Thursday posed a question to Democrats as some states have continued to thumb their nose at President Donald Trump's executive order to keep males out of girls' and women's sports. "What are the Dems willing to give up for men who identify as trans?" she asked on X. "Abortion… the Constitution… rule of law… That's just for starters…" At the start of the year, Navratilova criticized Democratic lawmakers who killed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The tennis legend called on Democrats to "grow a spine" in a post on social media. Trump signed the executive order in February and Navratilova lamented that Democrats failed to do what the president did. "I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women's sports being for females only," she wrote in a post on X. High school organizations in Maine, California and Washington have all failed to change policies that currently allow transgender athletes to participate in girls' and women's sports. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Jasmine Crockett of Texas have downplayed the issue, even as Trump campaigned on it and soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the general election. Ocasio-Cortez mentioned the overall subject of Democratic support for the trans community during an interview on "The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart" podcast on Jan. 23. "When we allow ourselves to constantly be distracted by these culture wars around trans people, it's a new thing every day, and the answer isn't that we just let those people be attacked, it's that we say, 'What are you doing, man?' I think we need to make standing up for those folks just such an afterthought that it's not even a debate," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Like, we need to understand and see the bait for what it is, but we don't take the bait by letting those rights just erode and go by the wayside." Ocasio-Cortez has previously voted in favor of multiple bills that would enable trans athletes to play in women's and girls' sports nationwide, including the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights. She also claimed on Jan. 14 that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would empower child sexual predators and that "trans girls are girls." In an interview with The 19th, Crockett dismissed the topic of trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports as a "distraction," while minimizing the potential impact they've had on the lives of women and families. Crockett made the comments while criticizing Democrats for becoming divided on the issue. "In this election, we allowed ourselves to be divided. We allowed them to distract us, and we allowed them to talk about the trans folk," Crockett said. "According to them, the trans kids, they want to play sports. That is the biggest issue that we've had. Since when? Since when? Find the little trans child that is ruining your life. I mean, I'm just like, what are we doing? Like, what are we doing?" Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
