Standing for Women’s Sports at the Supreme Court
On January 13, I spent the day in Washington, D.C. at a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard for two cases centered on protecting women’s sports and sex-based rights.
What Was Happening Inside the Court: Two Cases That Could Redefine Women’s Sports
Inside the courtroom, lawyers argued that sex cannot be clearly defined, while simultaneously insisting that sex-based rights for women must still be protected—and that two males declaring themselves women must be included in women’s sports.
Make it make sense.
Outside, men and women spoke openly about the importance of defending women’s rights, biological reality, and truth itself.
Of particular note, a counter-rally played loud music in an apparent attempt to drown out the voices of speakers defending women’s rights and biological reality.
Also of note: only one side of this debate required snipers on the roof to ensure safety.
My Story: Title IX, Women’s Sports, and What Fair Competition Made Possible
Here’s a portion of what I said—edited for clarity.
I started gymnastics in 1974, just two years after Title IX passed.
By 1980, at just 11 years old, I made my first national team.
In 1985, I broke my femur on the world stage at the World Championships.
Nine months later, I came back to become the U.S. Champion.
From Injury to Champion: What Sports Taught Me About Perseverance
I faced many obstacles and gruesome injuries—and I fought to come back every time.
But I don’t know that I could have if the deck had been stacked against me from the start. If I had been forced to compete against men.
Why would little girls even bother if they have no chance of making the team, making the podium, or winning?
If they are continually told that an even playing field doesn’t matter.
That they don’t matter.
That their hard work and sacrifice matter less than a boy’s feelings.
Eventually, they won’t bother.
They’ll stop trying.
What Happens When Girls Are Told They Don’t Matter
We are telling little girls right now that they don’t matter.
That boys’ feelings matter more than their rights and opportunities.
This is the message our institutions, schools, universities, and sport governing bodies are sending to girls.
When this happens, we don’t just take away girls’ hopes and dreams—their chance to prove themselves, to place, to win.
We take away their opportunity to learn everything sports teach:
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Perseverance
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Discipline
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How to get up again after being knocked down
We take away their futures.
Why Prioritizing Men’s Feelings Over Girls’ Rights Is Misogyny
I will stand in the breach for these girls because they deserve it.
They deserve every opportunity to thrive.
They do not deserve to be told to be quiet to spare the feelings of men.
I’m not raising my 9-year-old daughter to sit down, be quiet, and heed the demands of men.
This is misogyny—plain and simple.
It’s just disguised in a dress.
Make no mistake: the men demanding access to women’s sports and spaces are misogynists.
We have fought too hard and too long to give up our hard-won rights.
Calling this “progress” doesn’t make it so.
In reality, it sends us back at least 50 years.
Why I Started XX-XY Athletics
I started XX-XY Athletics because culture matters—and we ceded it to ideologues 20 years ago.
But we can, and we will, wrest it back with the same force it was taken from us.
We can make truth cool again.
Don’t be bullied by activists who show—through their actions—that girls’ rights matter less than boys’ feelings.
This Moment Matters — And the Work Isn’t Over
Please know: this week is momentous.
It is a critical moment in the protection of women’s rights—but it will not be the last. There is still work to do.
Change doesn’t only happen in courtrooms.
It happens on the ground—in neighborhoods, schools, and communities.
Have the hard conversations.
Shift the cultural tide.
We’ve got this.
We’re going to win.
It won’t be easy—but we have truth on our side.
Now put on the hat or the tee and go make some noise.
