Democrats Accused of Betraying Voters on Transgender Sports Issue

Registered Democrats and activists are voicing concerns that the party is alienating its base by failing to adequately address the issue of transgender athletes in women's sports. This sentiment has surfaced following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on protecting women's athletics, which saw minimal Democratic participation.

Jean Chadbourne, a self-identified Democrat and donor to prominent party figures, described her frustration with the party's stance. "They're eroding their base," Chadbourne stated, referencing her grassroots women's group, Women are Real, which she says is composed of approximately 65% Democrats. She observed that Democratic politicians were absent from a hearing where witnesses argued for the separation of biological males and females in athletic competition, and that the party offered no witnesses of its own.

Polls suggest that a significant portion of Democratic voters share concerns about transgender athletes in women's sports. A New York Times poll indicated that 67% of those leaning Democrat oppose the mixing of sexes in sports, and a Pew poll found 55% of Democrats are uncomfortable with athletes competing on teams not aligned with their sex at birth. Despite this, some Democratic politicians are perceived as disregarding these voter sentiments.

One example cited is Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who reportedly rolled back proposed protections for biological females in sports without public announcement. Kara Dansky, a lawyer and author of "The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls," theorizes that a well-funded industry advocating for gender transitioning may be influencing lawmakers. "A lot of kids are being put on a lot of drugs, which, if they go the traditional route, they will take for decades if not the rest of their lives," Dansky commented. "So we're putting a large chunk of the young generation on a lifetime's worth of hormones."

Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics and a former Democrat, believes that Democratic politicians are influenced by staff members who are strongly opposed to former President Donald Trump, rather than by their constituents. "I think the (Democrat) politicians are old and out of touch, they're not even reading the words given to them by the activist staffers," Sey said. "They've completely lost touch with not just their voters, but with reality."

Sey also challenged Democratic Senator Dick Durbin's assertion that a national ban on biological males in female sports would lead to "inappropriate gender verification checks." Sey countered that such checks are not occurring in the 27 states that already have bans in place.

Despite the evident concern among some Democratic voters, Dansky expressed skepticism about the issue significantly impacting upcoming elections. She suggested that the party's strategy might be to ignore the issue, hoping that Trump's unpopularity will be sufficient for them to gain control of Congress. However, she also acknowledged that the debate over transgender athletes in sports is unlikely to subside.

Recent incidents have highlighted the concerns of female athletes. Carly Smolak, a former Australian rules football player, testified about a registered sex offender joining her former team. A 17-year-old volleyball player, Briley Lehcner, recounted an instance of a biological male entering her team's locker room. Additionally, state championships in Oregon, Washington, and California have reportedly seen biological males as track-and-field champions.

"I think of myself as being on the political left, but this issue is absolutely regressive," Dansky remarked. "It really bothers me that people who push this get to be called progressives. It's not progressive."