In May 2023, Gallup conducted a poll asking Americans a simple question: should athletes who identify as transgender play on sports teams that match their biological sex, or should they be able to choose a team that matches their “gender identity?”
The poll found that the majority of Americans, 69 percent, believe that these athletes should compete on teams that match their biological sex. And these results really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Basic biology tells us that men have physical advantages over women including greater height and weight; larger, longer, and stronger bones; larger muscles; and higher rates of metabolizing and releasing energy. Identifying as a woman does not erase these advantages.
Despite Americans’ overall disapproval, many Democratic lawmakers have continued pushing laws and policies that allow men to compete in women’s sports. But two Democrats recently spoke out against these dangerous policies even as some of their colleagues disagree.
Men shouldn’t compete in women’s sports
Following president-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, spoke plainly about his view of allowing men in women’s sports.
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Rep. Moulton told The New York Times. “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”
Even if Rep. Moulton’s comments were fueled by a frustration with the presidential election results, they demonstrate an encouraging shift toward common sense. Allowing men to compete against women does threaten both safety and fairness for female athletes.
Rep. Moulton was not the only Democrat to acknowledge this fact, either.
“I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports,” said Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York. “Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”
More work to be done
Protecting women’s sports should not be a political issue. Lawmakers of all political persuasions should be able to come together and defend female athletes from the violations of privacy, safety, and fairness that occur when they are forced to compete alongside and against males.
While Seth Moulton and Tom Suozzi’s statements are encouraging, the reaction to them shows that we still have much work to do on this issue.
Rep. Moulton’s top campaign aide resigned shortly after his boss’s comments, and the school committee in the congressman’s hometown denounced his stance. To Rep. Moulton’s credit, he has not backed down.
“I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive women’s sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,” Moulton told NBC 10 Boston in response to the backlash.
Unfortunately, not everyone is getting the message. Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said Moulton’s comments “do not represent the broad view of our party.”
What Kerrigan and others expressing similar sentiments fail to understand is that according to Gallup, Moulton’s comments about the need to protect women’s sports do represent the broad view of the American people. The sooner lawmakers realize this, the sooner we can work toward meaningful policies to protect female athletes.
