Pro-woman proposal ensures safety and fair competition in sports

Sen. Sawyer: "At the heart of all sports is competition, and the last thing we want is to take that away from our female athletes."

Raleigh, N.C. – Republicans in the North Carolina Senate passed legislation to protect fair competition and promote safety in school athletics. Senate Bill 631, “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” is a commonsense solution to the unfair advantage gained when biological males compete in female sports.

The bill, co-sponsored by every Senate Republican, requires that middle and high school sports teams designated for females be for biological females only, meaning that biological men who identify as women cannot be on the team. Several governing sports bodies have taken similar measures to assure fairness and safety in sports. A British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that even when biological men undergo testosterone suppression they still have physical advantages over women.

“At the heart of all sports is competition, and the last thing we want is to take that away from our female athletes,” said primary bill sponsor Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell). “We’ve made far too much progress to go backward and threaten the loss of a scholarship or state championship.”

“The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is pro-woman legislation,” said primary bill sponsor Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon). “We cannot ignore the physical differences between men and women in sports. By keeping sports designated to biological sex we are allowing female athletes to compete on an even playing field.”

In North Carolina, there has already been an incident that raised serious safety concerns among local school leaders. During a volleyball game in Cherokee County, a biological male severely injured a female volleyball player after spiking a ball in the girl’s face. The school district cancelled future games due to safety concerns.

“This bill is about ensuring fairness and safety in school athletics,” said primary bill sponsor Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth). “Every student in North Carolina will still have the chance to play sports, the only difference is we will not have biological males playing against females.”

A statewide survey found that 70% of North Carolinians oppose men playing in women’s sports, and an April 2023 poll from The Economist/YouGov shows that 55% of Americans oppose allowing athletes to play on teams based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.