Latest news with #XX-XY
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
New mom kicked out of running club over trans controversy: ‘Antithesis of why I signed up'
A decade ago, if a woman ran a sub-three-hour Boston Marathon only six months after giving birth, she was pretty much guaranteed a fawning spread in a fitness magazine. But last week, only days after running the vaunted race in 2:50:04, new mom Natalie Daniels was booted from her running club in the DC metro area. The reason? She spoke up about fairness in women's sports. Advertisement Daniels doesn't believe that trans runners should take up women's spots in races — especially in Boston, which caps the number of marathon participants. 6 Natalie Daniels finished the Boston Marathon in 2:50:04, only six months after giving birth to her first child, son Cooper. Courtesy of Natalie Daniels 'I don't want anyone to think that there's not a place for trans athletes in sports writ large,' the 33-year-old told me in an emotional interview. 'All I am saying is that women — biological women — in women's sports are valid and they deserve integrity in the results.' Advertisement Daniels, who has won five of the 18 marathons she's run, initially signed up for Boston when she was eight months pregnant with her first child, son Cooper. While in training, she read a social media post from Jennifer Sey, the founder of XX-XY Athletics, about how the Boston Marathon was going to let a trans woman compete in the women's open category on April 21. Sey also noted that the race had a nonbinary category that has only been won by men since its inception two years ago. The takeaway: It was possible for biological men to sweep all categories. 6 Natalie Daniels holds her son Cooper near the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Courtesy of Natalie Daniels Advertisement 'This was the antithesis of why I signed up — which is to celebrate my female body and to compete in a meaningful way with other women,' Daniels said. 'During pregnancy, this became more important to me.' She was inspired to reach out to XX-XY, an apparel company that was founded on keeping women's sports female. 'I said, 'Hey, if you guys came up with a Boston special singlet, I would wear it proudly,'' Daniels recalled. She also agreed to do an interview with the brand, published on YouTube, in which she discussed her common sense views about biology and fair competition. She thought maybe 100 people would see it. But things exploded when Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz — a biological woman who identifies as trans and nonbinary and who competes in the female category — made a snarky rebuttal video that went viral. Advertisement 6 Olympic runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as a trans and nonbinary, blasted Daniels for speaking up about fairness in women's sports. Getty Images 'I thought the whole point of a marathon was to get the best out of yourself. And can I have fun along the way … ' Hiltz says in the video, posted on Tiktok. 'Are you mad because, instead of 900th [place], you're going to take 901 because a trans woman maybe beats you?' Daniels, who actually came in 110th in the women's division in Boston, feels Hiltz was diminishing amateur runners: 'She was saying competition doesn't matter and integrity in your sport doesn't matter.' Daniels' Instagram quickly filled up with harassing comments and strangers started liking data from her Strava app, which shows running locations, to 'intimidate' her. On the Saturday before the race, her coach suggested she not wear the club's uniform for her own safety. 6 Natalie Daniels and her son Cooper pick up her race bib for the Boston Marathon. Courtesy of Natalie Daniels He also asked her to make a 'clarifying statement' to the club. Daniels said she told them she apologized if she had made people upset. But she did not apologize for her view that women's sports should be for biological women. She also agreed not to post anything else on Instagram about it. But she was active on X 'because people were being nice. It was an emotional boost.' Advertisement Daniels declines to name the club because she doesn't want people to target them. Instead, she wants 'to show that speaking your mind about fairness will still come at a personal cost.' The day after the race, her club — which she has belonged to for over a year — asked her to make a public declaration essentially rebuking her views. 6 Natalie Daniels celebrates finishing the Boston Marathon in under three hours. Courtesy of Natalie Daniels Daniels declined. But after Sey shared her story on X on April 23, she received an email dismissing her from the club. Advertisement 'There is a distinction between good faith discussions regarding transgender and non-binary individuals in competitive sports versus bullying, harassing, diminishing and dehumanizing individuals,' the letter read. It also claimed that Daniels 'repeatedly and purposely' misgendered Hiltz, a biological woman, by referring to the runner as a woman. 'Instead of engaging, they sent this email to say I didn't operate in good faith … It feels like a policing of thought,' Daniels said. Another member of the run club told me that the situation was handled improperly — adding that Daniels is one of the more popular females in the club and some other runners agreed with her. Advertisement 6 Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics, is teaming up with Daniels to launch an online running community. Penske Media via Getty Images 'They threw the book at her when they could have easily recognized her right to express her own opinions independently of the club,' the member said. The club has a right to maintain membership as they see fit. But they are shutting down meaningful debate about fairness in women's sports by calling it bullying. Recognizing biology is not bullying. Banishing someone for beliefs that align with close to 80% of Americans? Yeah, that feels more compatible with the b word. Advertisement Now that Daniels is a free agent, she's planning to launch an online running community with Sey and XX-XY. She said she has thought a lot about her decision to speak out and the impact it's had on her life. And she has no regrets. 'I've seen middle schoolers and teenage athletes take a knee [to protest competing against biological males]. I keep thinking, 'Where are the adults?'' Daniels said. 'And I am the adult now. I should say something. And I did.'
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Jennifer Sey's XX-XY Athletics Brand First-Year Success Transcended Politics
It's been a year since Jennifer Sey and her XX-XY Athletics brand entered the large and fiercely competitive athletic apparel market, expected to reach $173 billion in North America this year, according to McKinsey. Just about all the cards are stacked against a start-up brand breaking through. However, Sey and the XX-XY brand have had remarkable, if not unprecedented, success by traditional financial and brand engagement measures. It reached seven figures in sales in only the first eight months by using only the power of social media and numerous earned media appearances to get the message out. All the while, she and her brand have faced numerous obstacles, being villainized by many, shadow-banned on TikTok for eight months and blocked by Meta during the Paris Olympics Games from using the hashtag #XX. Yet XX-XY stands out for being the first, and still only, athleticwear brand that takes a stand against trans athletes competing in women's and girl's sports and invading their private spaces. The accomplishments don't stop there. How many first-time entrepreneurs get invited to the White House, much less acknowledged by the President of the United States by more than a handshake? He handed her his notes after giving his Executive Order speech protecting women's sports. Only a handful get such a White House invite, and usually they're present for a photo op to support a political agenda. Admittedly, politics is always behind anything a politician says or does, but in the case of Jennifer Sey, the President wanted to thank her personally for bringing public attention to an issue that has crossed the political divide. A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 79% of Americans believe that trans athletes should not be allowed to compete in women's sports, including a dominant 67% majority of Democrats or those who lean Democrat. As Sey says, 'Brands are a tool of culture, and they influence and inform ideas in the same way file, art and music do.' She's recruited the support of such outspoken feminists as J.K. Rowling, Megyn Kelly, Sage Steele, and Martina Navratilova, along with a team of 60+ female sports warriors and proud wearers of the XX-XY brand, to be the change they want to see in the world. Since the 1970s and 1980s, the conscious-consumerism movement emerged with consumers making purchase decisions influenced by corporate ethics, environmental and social justice positions to effect societal change. Then it rapidly began to evolve into political consumerism, particularly among the higher-income status individuals with less conservative views. It's no surprise politics entered the consumer mindset, as Aristotle asserted, 'Man is a political animal,' and defined the ultimate purpose of politics to achieve 'the good life' and 'eudaimonia,' translated as flourishing or happiness. Expand Aristotle's philosophy to the marketplace – Americans are consuming animals – and the foundation of corporate ESG policies be found. Accordingly, consumers increasingly engage in the political process in their purchase decisions, choosing to buy from this brand or that retailer because they believe it is advancing the common good and avoiding, even boycotting brands that stand on the opposite side of the political divide. An experimental study led by Northeastern University political science Professor Costas Panagopoulus found that brands perceived as partisan, i.e. aligned with Democrat or Republican candidates, drew consumers with similar party affiliations and distanced those on the other side. The stronger the consumers' party affiliation, the stronger their movement one way or another. 'Partisans, on average, reward or punish firms upon learning that their campaign contributions lopsidedly favor one party,' the study found. And the research indicates that in specific regions or market niches where the partisan balance favors one party or another, it could impact the company's market share. However, Panagopoulos points out that some social issues go beyond politics to shared 'consensus values,' or a supermajority. 'Consumer demand has been shown to increase when products are advertised with reference to widely shared values.' XX-XY brand at least initially tapped the partisan political divide. In 2022, Pew Research found that only 37% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning consumers supported restricting sports participation to the gender assigned at birth and 85% among Republicans and Republican leaners. However, it's become a supermajority consensus value in a few short years, according to the latest Ipsos/NYT poll. If Sey had only hitched XX-XY's wagon to the trans-athlete issue, its days may have been numbered after President Trump signed the Executive Order to keep men out of women's sports on Feb. 5. But at its founding, Sey had a broader purpose: to build a world-class athletic brand committed to 'creating exceptional products, inspiring marketing and maintaining financial discipline while fostering a work environment where merit is paramount and free speech thrives,' the company states. At the same time, its other mission was equally ambitious. 'We are more than just a business: we are a movement,' Sey explained. 'We differentiate ourselves by telling the truth about women's sports.' At first, customers came for a logo t-shirt or a hat to wave the XX-XY flag, but Sey told me that between 25% and 30% of customers have come back for more. They learned that the brand has the style, performance and fit that competes favorably with mainstream brands and it also aligns with their values, where other brands don't. 'We're building trust with our customers. After their first purchase, they are surprised at the quality and they are leaning in to buy some of the higher-priced performance items, like leggings. That's how we will establish ourselves as a real player in the space,' she said. The women's sports mission provides powerful storytelling narratives to get people's attention, with the athleticwear going along for the ride. Female athletes of all ages are the heroes in its video social media campaigns which have collectively earned 50 million organic views, such as Real Girls Rock, which J.K. Rowling shared to her followers, and its Dear Nike campaign – 'poking the bear,' Sey called it. Apparently, it's working. Through connections with billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman, she learned the ad was at least partly responsible for Nike coming back to this year's Super Bowl after sitting it out for 27 years. Nike did not respond to a request for comment. And the Nike 'So Win' Super Bowl ad featuring WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles provided Sey with a springboard for the next XX-XY campaign: 'So Speak: Athletes Respond to Nike's Super Bowl Campaign.' In the XX-XY video, accomplished female athletes, including Riley and sister Neely Gaines, April Hutchinson, Réka György, Lauren Miller, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Sia Liilii, Macey Boggs and Payton McNabb, challenge the Nike ad where it stated women are told they can't be demanding, relentless, confident, challenging, stand out and win. 'We watched the ad in real time during the Super Bowl. I felt like it was such a pathetic way to address our challenges and so beside the point, like there are evil sexists in the world who are telling women they can't win championships or fill stadiums. That's just not true,' Sey shared and continued: 'Nike failed completely to address the one thing that women are actually told they can't do: stand up for the integrity of women's sports.' XX-XY's 'So Speak' ad tells the real story of what women face when they speak out. 'They are harassed. They're threatened,' Sey explained. 'They're physically assaulted, like Riley Gaines. They are severely injured, like Payton McNabb,' who suffered permanent brain damage in a high school volleyball game. 'They lose scholarships and endorsements and they lose their careers, like Melissa Batie-Smoose,' the San Jose State volleyball coach, who was suspended for filing a Title IX complaint against the school for allowing a trans-gender athlete to play on the team. Even as the NCAA revised its trans-athlete policy, which many believed doesn't go far enough in protecting women's sports, including the state of Texas, Sey says the XX-XY brand is just getting started. Being the master marketer she is – named twice to Forbes' most influential marketers list for work she did previously at Levi's – Sey says there is still a lot more work to do, not just protecting women from unfair competition by biological males, but supporting women's and girl's sports more broadly. Sey expects that other athletic brands might catch on to the message, but at least for now, the XX-XY brand has the playing field to itself. And Sey has benefited by making numerous appearances on such widely viewed media channels, such as Fox, Fox Business, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, The Daily Signal, The Daily Mail, Megyn Kelly and others, to champion the cause, and secondarily, promote the brand. Ironically, despite being overlooked, even vilified by what some may consider the mainstream media, such as CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS, a casual mention in a New York Times article positioning the brand in a negative light turned out to be the third most important way customers learned of the XX-XY brand, after Fox and social media. 'We're committed to having this conversation. I can bring facts, like why the qualifying time for women in the Boston Marathons is 17% slower than men and why there are no rings in women's gymnastics because men have much more upper body strength,' Sey said. 'I'm calm, rational, not bigoted, and just talk common sense. Eventually we'll have a balanced conversation. While they try to demonize us and argue against us, that'll will change over time. 'I'm not at all fearful of having a challenging conversation. I don't need to talk only to people who agree with me, but most especially with those who don't,' she concluded. See Also:
Fox News
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'TOTALLY VINDICATED': Riley Gaines Joins the Guy Benson Show and Breaks Down Trump's Executive Orders on Women's Sports, Nike's Super Bowl Ad, and MORE
Riley Gaines, contributor, host of the Gaines for Girls podcast, and author of Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World That's Lost its Mind , joined The Guy Benson Show to discuss Trump's executive orders protecting women's spaces in sports. Riley also reacted to recent ads from XX-XY and Nike on the issue and shared why she feels 'vindicated' as the country increasingly recognizes her fight against transgender men in women's sports and spaces. Listen to the full interview below! Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast:
Fox News
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'THIS IS AN ISSUE OF TRUTH AND FAIRNESS': Jennifer Sey Joins the Show and Discusses XX-XY's Success, J.K. Rowling's Endorsement, + MORE!
Jennifer Sey, founder of the startup sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics and former U.S. gymnast, joined The Guy Benson Show to discuss her company's latest viral ad promoting women's empowerment in sports against transgender athletes. She shared why JK Rowling's public support for the ad and her brand is so meaningful to her company and the women in sports movement as a whole. Sey and Benson also weighed in on Trump's early executive orders aimed at advancing women's rights, and Sey criticized California's Democratic leadership, arguing that both Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass bear responsibility for LA's devastating wildfires. Listen to the full interview at the link below! Listen to the full interview: Listen to the full podcast: Jennifer Sey had this to say on JK Rowling's endorsement of XX-XY and the issue of fairness in women's sports: 'But there is there is a cohort of there there the original TERFs really right? A feminist who do not consider themselves conservatives and aren't on many social issues. And I think J.K. Rowling is kind of the obvious most prominent in that in that camp. And, you know, that for me really resonates and means a lot. And I think the fact that we can stand together as women on this issue that we agree on, which is basically biology and truth, says a lot because this should not be a political issue. This is not a right wing issue. This is an issue of truth and fairness. And so I just you know, she is the sort of most prominent.'
