The athletes, coaches and activists who took the stage in Scranton opposed new protections for gender identity under Title IX from the Biden administration.
They say it puts female athletes in danger and gives transgender athletes an unfair advantage.
“Taking away opportunities from women and giving them to men doesn't enforce Title IX, it violates it,” said Adriana McLamb, a former D1 athlete and volleyball coach and recruiter. McLamb is also an Independent Women’s Forum Ambassador.
The Our Bodies, Our Sports Take Back Title IX Bus Tour kicked off in the Student Union Gymnasium at Lackawanna College. The coalition is made up of women's advocacy organizations from across the political spectrum. Women of all ages and athletic backgrounds will tour the country. In Scranton, they shared their experiences to a crowd of around 100 people, often emphasizing “women” and “female” and making a distinction between biological sex and gender. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos made a surprise appearance at the end of the rally.
DeVos said Title IX was one of the most important things she worked on as secretary.
"It's not too late to stop what's been put forward from Washington," she said. "With your help, we can take back Title IX."
The new final rule goes into effect on Aug. 1. It protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics in programs that receive federal funds, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The coalition takes issue with the phrase “gender identity.” In April, the Independent Women’s Forum, who are part of the Our Bodies Our Sports coalition, filed a lawsuit alongside four states against the U.S. Department of Education's new final rule.
The new regulations also promote accountability by requiring schools to take prompt and effective action to end any sex discrimination and protect against retaliation for students, employees and others who exercise their Title IX rights.
“A relatively small group of politicians and other social activists are working very hard to stoke fears of transgender people for political gain and/or monetary gain,” said Corinne Goodwin, executive director of the Eastern PA Trans Equity Project. “If they were particularly concerned about equity and equality in women's sport, they would be focusing on other issues.”
Goodwin cited equal funding for women’s sports programs and fair pay, among other issues.
“It’s very obvious that men's football and men's basketball, get by far and away the richest share of the money for school athletics, both at the high school and at the college level,” she said.
Goodwin said 16 states have inclusive public school policies that allow transgender youth to participate in sports and 6.5 million students participate in school sports.
“There are only four cases where a transgender youth is particularly dominant in any given sport,” Goodwin said. “Instead of focusing on the issues that are really important to our communities, which is everything from fair education funding to making sure that kids are able to read and write effectively, that they're prepared for college, that they're prepared for trade school … we are ignoring things like infrastructure and climate change and all these other things that affect everybody.”
Twenty-four states have laws that ban transgender students from playing sports according to their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project’s Equality Maps: Bans on Transgender Youth Participation in Sports.
Landmark law then and now
Title IX began in 1972. The law states “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
The speakers who grew up playing sports in the early days of the federal civil rights law discussed how it changed their lives and gave them more opportunities.
The younger athletes, like swimmers Paula Scanlan and Riley Gaines, shared their experiences competing with transgender athletes. Many noted that they felt uncomfortable and unsafe sharing locker rooms with transgender athletes.
“How is it not bigotry to take women’s opportunities away and to force them to undress in a locker room with a man,” said Scanlan, who swam at the University of Pennsylvania. “We were forced to undress next to a six foot four tall, male athlete. And this is horrifying to experience.”
Scanlan swam alongside Lea Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship. The speakers also argued that trans-athletes were unfairly breaking sports records in women’s divisions.
Peyton McNabb is a former high school volleyball player from North Carolina. She suffered a head and neck injury when she was struck by a volleyball spiked by a transgender athlete.
“The hit was so violent that I was knocked unconscious,” she said. “The fact is that what happened to me was 100% avoidable if only my rights as a female athlete had not been excluded on the basis of being inclusive to a male who identifies as a female.”
McLamb spoke afterwards on behalf of the coalition.
“We thought it was a great time to take this across the country … and make sure that the American public knows that Biden is changing the definition of what it means to be a woman and definition of sex,” she said. “We all are uniting because we're all pro women. That's what our thing is, we're not anti-trans, we are pro women.”
She said the Title IX changes also impact other issues, including education and employment
“We're focusing on the women's sports aspect because that’s the place it's happening the most … right now,” she said.
The Rainbow Alliance was disappointed to learn that the tour was at Lackawanna College.
“This decision stands in stark contrast to the college’s professed commitment to equality and inclusivity for all students and alumni. As a college that purports to uphold the values of diversity and acceptance, providing a platform for such an event raises serious concerns about its genuine dedication to fostering an environment where all individuals, regardless of gender identity, feel valued and respected,” said Shea Hughes, executive director.
Lackawanna spokesperson Eric Eiden clarified that the college did not sponsor, promote or endorse the event or its content.
“Historically, Lackawanna College has been dedicated to providing a platform for a broad range of discourse on political and social issues, while remaining neutral,” he said. “Our involvement in this event is strictly limited to offering our facility as a venue.”
The bus tour's next stop is in Lancaster on Friday.
