Kiggans Helps Make History for Women’s Sports

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) participated in a ceremony at the White House as the President signed a new Executive Order to protect safety, fairness, and dignity in women’s sports. This commonsense Executive Order upholds the promise of Title IX and gives women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports. The Congresswoman celebrated this historic moment alongside other members of Congress, female athletes of all ages, and fierce women’s sports advocates like Riley Gaines.

“This Executive Order is a huge win for common sense and women everywhere,” said Congresswoman Jen Kiggans. “Biological men have no place in women’s sports, and nearly 80% of Americans agree. As a former coach of girls’ sports teams, a lifelong runner, and the mother of two active girls, saving women’s sports is personal for me. I was proud to introduce legislation to protect women’s sports when I was in the State Senate, I was proud to support similar legislation in the U.S. House, and I was proud to watch our efforts come to fruition today at the White House. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day than by ensuring female athletes can compete fairly and safely across all sports.”

Background:

Just last month, Congresswoman Kiggans voted to pass H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Congresswoman Kiggans championed legislation protecting female athletes in Virginia during the Virginia State Senate’s 2022 session. SB766, which she introduced on January 21, 2022, would have enshrined sex-based protections in Virginia law.

According to a recent New York Times poll, 79% of Americans do not believe biological men should compete in women’s sports.

The President’s Executive Order:

• Upholds the promise of Title IX and ends the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women’s sports. 
• Requires the DOJ to abide by the nationwide vacatur of the previous Administration’s illegal Title IX rewrite that would have dissolved single-sex spaces and opportunities.
• Requires immediate action, including enforcement actions, against schools and athletic associations comprised of schools that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms.
• Calls for the convening of private sporting bodies in the White House to hear, in person, the stories of female athletes who suffer life-long injuries, who have been silenced and forced to shower with men, and whose hard work has been cast aside due to the biological advantage of males. 
• Directs State attorneys general to identify best practices for ensuring equal opportunities for women in sports and to highlight impact stories of women harmed by male athletes competing in women’s sports.

You can learn more about this Executive Order here.

###