The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom General Counsel Kristen Waggoner regarding an open invitation letter sent Monday to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem from the existing nationwide coalition seeking to save girls’ and women’s sports—of which Alliance Defending Freedom, Heritage Action, Save Women’s Sports, Concerned Women for America, and numerous other groups are a part—asking her to join them in support of legislation to fully protect female athletes. The letter follows Noem’s decision to gut the recently passed Fairness in Women’s Sports bill (H.B. 1217) by removing the legal recourse provided to women and girls when they face unfair policies and eliminating the bill’s protections for college athletes altogether:
“The letter that ADF has joined invites Gov. Noem to be part of the longstanding and broad, nationwide coalition which has been fighting for legislation ensuring female athletes at all levels have fair competition, are substantively protected, and have legal recourse if their rights are violated. That was the essence of H.B. 1217, which she gutted despite very similar legislation having been signed into law in Idaho last year—with 14 attorneys general backing it—and in Mississippi and Arkansas earlier this month. We have heard Gov. Noem’s recent insistence that she cares about this important issue and, as such, plead with her to reconsider her actions and support meaningful legislation that protects all women—from kindergarten to college—and that gives them a legal remedy if they need it. And moving forward we would gladly welcome her participation in our coalition to protect fairness for women in sports and to stand up to the ‘woke’ corporate interests and activist groups who are neglecting them.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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