Trump’s executive order is latest stride toward victory for female athletes like me

If there’s one thing you learn playing sports, it’s persistence. Disciplining yourself to keep trying, keep practicing, keep competing. You win, a lot of times, because you kept going a little longer, kept pushing yourself a little harder, than the other people on the court or field or track with you.

I’m learning that it’s the same way with the law. You get the good laws passed – and the bad ones put away – mostly by hanging in there. You put the truth in front of enough people, plead your case to enough judges and to enough people, and there’s a pretty good chance justice will win, whether in the courtroom or the court of public opinion.

As women trying to keep men out of our private spaces and our sports, a lot of my fellow athletes and I know our days fighting for common sense aren’t done yet… but we are grateful for some big victories we’ve won just this month in court, in Congress, and, now, in the White House, with President Donald Trump’s new executive order upholding the biological reality that men and women are different and safeguarding intimate spaces for women and girls.

One of those big court wins came in Kentucky, where a federal district court – ruling in the case of State of Tennessee v. Cardona – finally stopped the Biden administration’s attempt to rewrite Title IX. (Title IX was created in the early 1970s to prevent discrimination “on the basis of sex” in public schools.)

DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

The Biden rule insisted that “sex” must include gender identity – so schools receiving government money had to let male athletes into women’s locker rooms, restrooms, showers, and even their bedrooms on overnight team trips.

It’s not safe, it takes away our privacy, and it doesn’t make any sense. The Kentucky judge saw all that and ruled accordingly, wiping away the Biden Title IX rule nationwide. It was a huge win, and women all over the country are celebrating. With that rule gone, now states and the federal government have the green light to carry out good policies protecting women.

More so than most, I had good reason to celebrate that court decision. Tennessee v. Cardona was my case. After years of successfully competing on my middle school track team, running the 4 x 100 relay, pole-vaulting, and throwing shot put and discus, I watched all of that go away in eighth grade. Suddenly, a boy one grade behind me identified as a girl, joined my team, started entering all my events, and eventually grew into a track-and-field powerhouse.

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In just three years, he displaced nearly 300 in competition, beating us more than 700 times. That wasn’t all. In between practices and events, he was in our locker rooms and beside us out on the field, watching us change clothes and making crude, sometimes threatening sexual comments to me.

Sports stopped being fun – and stopped being fair. We knew we were walking out on the track just to lose. But whenever we talked to our administrators, nothing changed.

Tired of feeling vulnerable, embarrassed, frustrated and afraid, I decided I needed to stand up for myself and for other girls. 

IT TAKES DISCIPLINE TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION OF IDENTITY POLITICS AND LEAN INTO CHARACTER. BUT IT’S WORTH IT

With the help of my attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, I joined the other plaintiffs in Tennessee v. Cardona – and was thrilled when the judge ruled in favor of women’s privacy and safety. Finally, someone seemed to understand what girls like me have been up against.

And finally, it looks like some people in Washington, D.C., may understand, too.

On Jan. 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which basically says that allowing males to compete on women’s teams violates the original intent of Title IX. Now that bill is headed to the Senate.

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And most recently, President Trump – on his first day in office – signed an executive order affirming the definition of sex as male and female, a major step in protecting women’s sports.

All of that is in addition to 25 states that have now passed laws protecting women’s sports, and two lawsuits – one out of West Virginia and the other out of Idaho – have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the women’s sports issue for good.

After four years of barely being able to get anyone to listen to us, it’s like a dam is finally breaking. Common sense is coming back, and I’m thankful that Trump’s recent order recognizes the inherent differences between men and women.

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But that’s what comes from persistence. And it gives me great hope that – as much work as there still is to do to restore women’s sports and women’s private spaces to women – we’re not alone anymore. We’ve got a lot of great players joining our team.

And we’re on the right track.

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