CNN
—
A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the NCAA convention in San Antonio on Thursday. transgender athletes in women’s college sports.
The protest included Riley Gaines, a former swimmer from the University of Kentucky, who competed with a transgender athlete from the University of Pennsylvania. Leah Thomas at last year’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Speaking outside the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Gaines told NCAA officials:
Current NCAA Policy It states that participation of transgender student-athletes in each sport is “determined by the policy of the national governing body for that sport,” in line with the policy of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Gaines has previously spoken out on the issue in a campaign ad with former US Senator Herschel Walker in Georgia and at a rally held by Donald Trump.
The demonstration was organized by several groups, including the Independent Women’s Sports Council (ICONS).
ICONS released a statement on Thursday, stating: [the NCAA] We must protect female athletes from discrimination based on gender.
The statement called for the NCAA to “comply with U.S. civil rights law,” and that “all policies permitting male athletes to be on women’s team rosters or participate in women’s events.” abolish the
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead Makar joined the protest, murmured: “Sports teaches us strategic thinking. People feel less empathy for transgender athletes when they see them denied opportunities.
The protest was also attended by Christiana Kiefer, an attorney for the religious freedom group Alliance Defending Freedom. faced criticism Because it is anti-LGBTQ rights.
kiefer murmured Image and caption of her speaking at the event: “NCAA: We are talking to you. It’s time to stop discriminating against female athletes and defend #womenssports!”
Athlete Ally – A professional LGBTQ rights group working to “dismantle systems of oppression in sports that isolate, exclude and endanger LGBTQI+ people” – issued a statement to CNN, condemning the demonstration and its intentions.
“We want all athletes, including transgender and non-binary athletes, to be protected from harm,” the statement read. “Demonstrations like this that present transgender people as a threat to women’s sport are not only untrue and untrue as they are not human, they are also extremely harmful and the violence these young people are already facing. and help promote harassment.
“Anyone concerned about threats to women’s sport should focus on what we know to be real, documented threats: unequal pay, sexual abuse and harassment, The lack of resources for female athletes, the lack of women in leadership, etc. are all issues discussed during the convention when protesters stood outside.
The NCAA has confirmed to CNN that it has received a petition from an external group related to the NCAA’s Transgender Student-Athlete Participation Policy and will respond after reviewing the document.
