Female Athletes Tell Congress Biological Males Impact Safety, Privacy in Women's Sports

Female athletes and women’s sports advocates testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, detailing concerns about safety, privacy, and athletic opportunities stemming from policies that allow biological males to compete in women's athletics. They also warned that the issue could become a factor in the upcoming midterm elections.

The hearing, titled “Standing Up for Women in Sports: Ensuring Opportunity, Fairness and Safety for Female Athletes,” featured testimony from Kim Jones, co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), former professional soccer and Australian rules football player Carly Smolak, and attorney William Bock III.

Democrats' absence from the hearing drew criticism. Senators Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., were the only Democratic attendees and left within the first hour. Durbin declined to question witnesses, stating in his opening remarks that the hearing overlooked other issues facing children and female athletes, such as affordability, artificial intelligence, and cellphone use.

Kim Jones, whose daughter competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, called the Democrats' absence dismissive. "It felt dismissive of women, of our concerns, of the right for young girls to expect to be treated fairly in the United States," Jones said. She characterized Durbin's comments as "whataboutism" and misogynistic, arguing that addressing the problems faced by women in sports, including potential sexual abuse and harassment, is not contingent on solving every other global issue.

Jones also countered Durbin's suggestion that enforcing sex-based sports categories could lead to invasive inspections, stating that sex eligibility can be determined through methods like cheek-swab testing for the SRY gene. She believes the protection of female sports is a "non-negotiable" issue that will resonate with voters.

Carly Smolak shared an experience where a registered sex offender joined an adult women's Australian rules football team. She alleged that team members were not informed and that the sport's national governing body did not take sufficient action. "It felt like at every single level, the national level and largely the media level, it feels like nobody was doing anything about this issue," Smolak said. She expressed disappointment with responses that prioritized preferred pronouns over preventing such incidents and stated that women's sports should be exclusively for biological females.

Following the hearing, other athletes spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference. Briley Lechner, a 17-year-old athlete from Monroe High School in New York, recounted learning that a biological male had competed against her volleyball team and entered their locker room. "So to be told days after that there was a boy in the locker room where we get undressed, and there was a boy on the other side of the court, just is very hurtful," Lechner said. She vowed to continue speaking out until girls no longer feel uncomfortable or fearful in locker rooms, bathrooms, or on playing fields.

Lainey Armistead, involved in litigation over West Virginia's law restricting girls’ and women’s sports to biological females, stated, "Women’s sports is not men’s for the taking." Kendall Kotzmacher, an NCAA softball player, described the demoralizing experience of her high school team losing to a team with a transgender pitcher. "Showing up to the field that day knowing that we were playing a man is a feeling that you can’t explain to another person," Kotzmacher said.

U.S. Masters swimmer Angie Griffin recounted losing a national title to a transgender competitor and facing a grievance that threatened her with a potential lifetime ban. "The message to other women was clear: Speak up and you will pay a price," Griffin said. She urged prioritization of women in women's sports.

Marshi Smith, a co-founder of ICONS along with Kim Jones, emphasized the distress caused by the perceived dismissiveness of Democratic senators toward the athletes' experiences. "There are huge threats to women’s sports today, and adults really need to stand up in leadership positions and do something about it," Smith stated.

OutKick reported that only Sen. Durbin's office responded to inquiries about Democratic committee members' absences, referring to his opening statement. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., stated he missed the hearing due to a classified briefing on the Iran war but did not discuss his position on women's sports.