Remember the excellent bill introduced in the NY State Senate to protect women’s sports, S4496? The Assembly version, NY S7741, has just moved to committee.

NY A7741 is a straightforward bill designed to ensure girls can compete fairly in middle and high school sports. Sponsored by Andrea Bailey (R, Assembly District 133) and co-sponsored by 16 additional Republican assembly members, this is another piece of pro-woman legislation that should have nonpartisan support but doesn’t. The bill is moving into committee and must now come to a vote.

As the text of S4496 states:

Women have been fighting for equal opportunity in sports for decades and have made remarkable progress in limiting discrimination on the basis of sex, including the passage of Title IX in 1972. However, in recent years, transgender biological men have been competing in women’s sports, even though their inherent biological differences give them an unfair competitive advantage.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. According to HeCheated.org, a website that hosts a database of men and boys placing in women’s and girls’ athletic competitions, 399 men and boys have displaced women and girls in their own category in New York State alone. As for middle and high school competitions, the levels that S4496 is concerned with, at least 3,455 high school girls around the world have been displaced from podiums by boys since 2000, and 168 middle school girls lost their spot to a boy since 2014.

Women and girls fought for our sports category long ago, and the reasons why are so obvious this has become an 80/20 issue in recent years. Only 31% of Democrats believe men should be allowed to play in women’s sports.

Yet our lawmakers keep ignoring the will of the public, and some seem determined to destroy the women’s category no matter what.

If you would like guidance understanding this issue or crafting your message to representatives, check our Myth vs. Fact: Sports page or Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender (DIAG)‘s information sheet.

This bill has been scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday, April 22 at 10 AM. As of today, there are no opportunities to give public testimony.

Contact your State Assembly Members to tell them you support this bill!

Senate

1. Look up your NY state assembly member here.
2. Check if your representative is on this list of sponsors.

Sponsor: Andrea Bailey
Co-sponsors: Kenneth Blankenbush, Paul Bologna, Patrick Chludzinski, Joseph DeStefano, Michael Fitzpatrick, Jeff Gallahan, Jodi Giglio, Stephen Hawley, John Lemondes, Brian Manktelow, Brian Miller, Andrew Molitor, Joe Sempolinski, Doug Smith, Robert Smullen, Christopher Tague,

3. Once you’ve looked up your assembly member, there will be a link on their website to contact them.

If you like, start by copying and pasting the sample text below. Make sure to fill in the square brackets, and personalize your message by adding whatever you want!

Dear Assembly Member [NAME], 
I am writing as your constituent [and a feminist, lesbian, lifelong liberal, etc.] to state my strong support of A7741.
I strongly urge you, as my representative, to sponsor and support this straightforward bill to protect girl's sports. Inclusion of males in female sports violates women’s and girls’ fundamental right to equal opportunity in sports. Performance differences between males and females—differences that begin before puberty and persist regardless of any hormone treatment—necessitate sex categories for the sake of fairness and safety for women and girls.
We fought for our Title IX rights once before. We had the federal government clarify that the female category was meant for women all along. We shouldn't have to keep fighting to ensure girls can compete fairly, and it certainly shouldn't be left to the girls to defend their own category when the adults in the room close their eyes and ears to the reality they face.
Please stand with the girls risking harsh punishments to speak out and support A7741.
[YOUR NAME]