A Monday New York Times report dismissed the Republican “culture war” on biological males in women’s sports, saying that Republican opposition came “out of nowhere.”
The story, titled “Transgender Girls in Sports: G.O.P. Pushes New Front in Culture War,” suggests that Republicans are discriminating against trans youth by pushing unpopular legislation. (RELATED: Axios Finds Republicans Introduced 61 Bills In 2021 Aimed At Protecting Women, Children From Unpopular Gender Policies)
“Lawmakers in a growing number of Republican-led states are advancing and passing bills to bar transgender athletes in girls’ sports, a culture clash that seems to have come out of nowhere,” the sub-head on reporter Jeremy W. Peters’ story read. The Times has previously covered the issue of biological men in women’s sports on a number of occasions.
“The idea that there is a sudden influx of transgender competitors who are dominating women’s and girls’ sports does not reflect reality — in high school, college or professionally,” Peters wrote.
“The heightened media awareness on the right is due in part to how social conservative activists have improved at packaging transgender-specific restrictions,” Peters continued. “Borrowing a page from the anti-abortion movement, which was led by men for much of its early period, they have begun featuring women as public advocates.”
Today, South Dakota Republicans will debate whether to to scale back a proposed ban on transgender girls in school sports. Here’s how it passed, and why other bills like it are suddenly becoming law. https://t.co/EwVpnOIszR
— Jeremy W. Peters (@jwpetersNYT) March 29, 2021
A review conducted by Axios earlier this month found that GOP lawmakers have introduced 61 pieces of legislation in at least 25 states that criminalize gender transition surgeries for children or prevent biological males from participating in women’s sports.
A March POLITICO/Morning Consult poll found that 53% of registered voters do not support biological males competing in women’s sports. (RELATED: 53% Of Americans Support Banning Trans Athletes From Women’s Sports, Poll Shows)
Peters does not cite POLITICO’s findings but instead cites studies that “have shown that the majority of transgender students report feeling unsafe at school because of bullying and harassment.”
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Conservatives and advocates have pushed back against biological males competing in women’s sports for several years. A group of Connecticut female track athletes filed a complaint in 2019 with the Education Department’s civil rights office arguing that two biological males who identified as transgender females had unfair advantages over them.
The Education Department’s office of civil rights said at the time that the school’s policy, which allowed athletes to participate in sports under the gender they identified with, violated Title IX.
President Joe Biden’s administration withdrew government support for the lawsuit in February.
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