Rep. Maloy Joins Letter Urging Mountain West Conference to Protect Women’s Sports
Washington, D.C.,
November 20, 2024
Washington, D.C. — This week, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and a coalition of Western lawmakers sent a letter to Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, urging the conference to ensure safe and fair competition in women’s sports.
“Title IX recognizes the fundamental biological differences between men and women and allows each to pursue educational programs and activities equally, including athletics. Failure to recognize these biological differences between males and females puts our daughters and granddaughters in harm’s way,” wrote the lawmakers. “The Mountain West Conference is failing to create an environment that allows women to compete without fearing for their safety. As representatives of our states and as parents and grandparents, we demand you take action to reverse this unacceptable trend.”
In the letter, Maloy and her colleagues commend the bravery of female athletes who are taking a stand to protect Title IX. They also highlight recent actions taken by other athletic bodies, such as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which unanimously voted to restrict participation in women’s sports to biological females. They call on the Mountain West Conference to adopt similar guidance.
The letter also references incidents where schools within the Mountain West Conference had to forfeit games to safeguard their athletes, risking their competitive standings. Recently, the Utah State University women’s volleyball team had to forfeit their match against the San José State University volleyball team.
Maloy was joined by members of the Utah delegation including Senators Lee (R-UT), Romney (R-UT), and Reps. Owens (UT-04), Curtis (UT-03), and Moore (UT-01). U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and U.S. Representatives Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Mike Simpson (R-ID), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY) also signed on. You can read the full letter here. |