Outsports, an LGBT sports blog, doxxed hundreds of female athletes who signed a letter to the NCAA urging the organization not to boycott Idaho over a law preventing transgender athletes from competing in female sports.
Idaho became the first state to pass the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” which prevents female sports teams from allowing transgenders who identify as females to compete. Signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little in March, the American Civil Liberties Union and Legal Voice (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in April aimed at preventing the bill from becoming law.
Activist groups have since called for the NCAA to boycott Idaho over the law. In return, over 300 current and former female athletes – including former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova – signed a letter urging the organization not to boycott the state.
While a few of the 309 names were made public, the rest remained private because some were “afraid of the backlash that they might get on social media, of being labeled a transphobe or a hater,” according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) lawyer Christina Holcomb. ADF is representing two female athletes who wish to be part of the suit to back Idaho’s new law.
#MartinaNavratilova is the first name on a list of 300+ women athletes who signed a letter from an anti-trans group to the @NCAA https://t.co/PYsCJESnTT
— Outsports (@outsports) August 3, 2020
“They’re 309 women who oppose transgender inclusion in sports, and wanted to do so in secret,” Outsports wrote Sunday evening in an article doxxing all of the females who signed the letter. “But Martina Navratilova and her cosigners could not hide from us.”
The blog continued on to say that doxxing the females was “not a witch-hunt” and that the private names of the individuals are “in the public interest.” The website continued on to write that signing the letter meant each individual was standing “in favor of discrimination,” and that the people “ought to be held accountable.”
The letter sent to the NCAA called for a “fair and level playing field” for female athletes. Outsports wrote that this was “coded language which means the group opposes trans women being allowed to compete with women who are cisgender.” (RELATED: Female College Track Stars Step Up To Help Idaho Fight Off Lawsuit Over Banning Transgender Athletes)
“Publishing the name/location of women who wrote to the #NCAA seeking fair competition isn’t journalism—it’s a witch-hunt,” Holcomb tweeted after the names were revealed.
.@outsports Publishing the name/location of women who wrote to the #NCAA seeking fair competition isn’t journalism—it’s a witch-hunt. #NCAA, stand with #AthletesOverActivists.#sexnotgender #fairplay @SaveWomensSport https://t.co/OVe21XEuIW
— Christiana Holcomb (@ChristianaADF) August 3, 2020
The NCAA previously said it opposed Idaho’s law, later announcing in June that it will discuss the law’s implications during an August board of governors meeting.