Earlier this month, the Biden administration moved to make broad bans on transgender students competing against athletes of the gender they are pretending to be, instead requiring them to compete against athletes of their actual birth gender.
NPR reported that President Joe Biden’s Department of Education proposed the change to Title IX, which was originally enacted to prevent discrimination in schools that receive federal funding.
The proposal drew fire from the usual corners, of course — but also from two well-known personalities from ESPN, a network usually better recognized for its encouragement of all things woke, not for its criticism of them.
It started with a statement from Lia Thomas, a male competitive swimmer who wants to be thought of as a woman and to compete against women.
Thomas, unsurprisingly, supports the Biden administration’s proposal, and published a video saying so.
That provoked a response from Riley Gaines, a female competitive swimmer and the 2022 Southeastern Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, who, more reasonably, also wants to be though of as a woman and to compete against women.
“Under the guise of competitive fairness?” Gaines tweeted in response to Thomas on Monday. “Are you really trying to say you would have won a national title against the men? Does it not break your heart to see women lose out on these opportunities? The Biden Admins [sic] proposed bill denies science, truth, and common sense.”
Under the guise of competitive fairness? Are you really trying to say you would have won a national title against the men? Does it not break your heart to see women lose out on these opportunities?
The Biden Admins proposed bill denies science, truth, and common sense pic.twitter.com/gsJfsic1eZ
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 18, 2023
Sage Steele, co-host of the 12 p.m. hour of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” responded, in turn, to Gaines’ tweet.
“This is heartbreaking, maddening, and really difficult to watch,” she wrote in a tweet to which she added the #savewomensports hashtag.
“I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and be relieved that this was all just a ridiculous, comical, nonsensical dream,” she added.
This is heartbreaking, maddening, and really difficult to watch.
I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and be relieved that this was all just a ridiculous, comical, nonsensical dream….#IStandWithRileyGaines #savewomensports #TitleIX @Riley_Gaines_ https://t.co/IoTj0UYx3y— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) April 19, 2023
She wasn’t alone. Samantha Steele Ponder, host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” on the same network, also tweeted her support of Gaines’ position.
This would take away so many opportunities for biological women and girls in sports. It is a shame that we are needing to fight for the integrity of Title IX in 2023 and the reason it was needed in the first place. #savewomensports https://t.co/5Ufeha2emq
— Samantha Steele Ponder (@samponder) April 19, 2023
Steele later tweeted in support of Ponder’s statement, as well.
?
Thank you, @samponder
#IStandWithRileyGaines #SaveWomensSports#TitleIX https://t.co/TUDZ2DQsT7— Sage Steele (@sagesteele) April 19, 2023
The proposed changes were published to the Federal Register on April 13. The 30-day period for public comments on the proposal will end on May 15.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.