(NewsWorthy.news) – A major collegiate athletic organization unanimously voted this week to forbid men from competing against the opposite sex, regardless of perceived “gender identity.”
On April 8, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) took a stand against the ongoing attack on women’s sports, in which biological men are routinely permitted to (and celebrated for) “identifying” as women and dominating female athletic competitions.
The group’s Council of Presidents unanimously agreed to ban so-called “transgender” athletes, requiring instead that all athletes participate in the segregated competitions based on their biological sex. Leadership’s passing vote of this rule was approved 20-0. Jim Carr, NAIA’s president, told the media that the group’s priority was that it “create fairness and competition,” while acknowledging that there are many “different opinions” on the sensitive issue.
Carr stood by the council’s decision, saying it “aligns with” the founding principles of Title IX, which protects women from being discriminated against at educational institutions, including as it relates to athletics. He also emphasized the allowance and necessity for “separate but equal opportunities” for men and women.
The policy forbids male athletes from competing in female sports and bars women who are undergoing hormone therapy to “transition” to a man from competing against fellow women. However, Carr noted, men’s sports “are open to anyone.”
Amy Novak, chair of the Council of Presidents and president at St. Ambrose University, further explained that a “task force” had been initiated to address the issue of men in women’s sports and had worked for “nearly two years” to come to this decision. She described the policy as the NAIA’s “best effort” to be “inclusive” of gender confused athletes while respecting the “competitive fairness of women’s sports.”
Riley Gaines, former champion swimmer for the University of Kentucky and staunch women’s sports advocate, applauded the decision on X. In one post, she noted that the NAIA has become “the first national college governing body” to initiate such a mandate. In another message, she wrote, “take note @NCAA.”
Copyright 2024, NewsWorthy.news
