Senate Republicans: Save Girls’ Sports

ALBANY, NY - Senators Alexis Weik, Pam Helming, Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, and Steve Rhoads joined by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and members of the Senate Republican Conference gathered together to vehemently oppose biological boys playing in girl's sports, highlighting the need for legislation at the state level to fully enshrine a woman’s right to fair competition across New York State.

The Senate Republican Conference is sponsoring two bills to fight back against the latest radical progressive crusade from New York’s majorities:

> S.4496, sponsored by Senator Alexis Weik, would prohibit biological boys from competing in girls' sports in grades seven through twelve across New York.

> and S.460, sponsored by Senator Steve Rhoads, would prevent the Commissioner of the New York State Education Department from stopping schools that choose to ban biological male students from joining female sports teams.

“Title IX is the law of the land. Kathy Hochul and the unelected bureaucrats in her Administration did not swear an Oath to uphold only the laws they agree with. Women and girls have fought too hard for equal opportunities in athletics guaranteed to them through Title IX.  Make no mistake, Kathy Hochul is trampling those rights in favor of a radical policy that is both unlawful and ignores basic biological reality. She and her Administration should immediately reverse course or be held accountable. 

My bill, S.460, which passed through committee with bipartisan support, puts the decision back in the hands of local schools—not Albany bureaucrats. This is a common sense bill that allows us to be compassionate while standing firm in defense of women’s rights. Fairness in girls’ sports means keeping the competition level—and that starts with protecting the integrity of women’s teams and the safety of female athletes. We owe it to every young girl in New York to ensure she has a fair chance to compete, succeed, and be recognized for her hard work,” said Senator Steve Rhoads.

The call follows the lead of advocates across the country and action taken by Nassau County to ensure that women are given a fair and equal opportunity to compete. Recent legislation passed by the Nassau County Legislature banned transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports at county-owned athletic facilities.

In addition, Senate Republicans have sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to ensure New York State is in compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”

“We write to express deep concern over recent actions taken within the State of New York that appear to contravene President Trump’s Executive Order titled ‘Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.’ This directive was established to reinforce the protections afforded to women under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and to ensure fair and safe athletic environments for female athletes,” the letter reads.

Senate Republicans unveiled the Liberate New York Agenda earlier this year that included a key component: protect girls' sports. In the recent Siena Poll, New Yorkers overwhelmingly support banning biological boys from playing in girls' sports. A large number of New Yorkers (46%) say all school districts should ban transgender girls from playing on girls sports teams– while only 22% fully support the idea of transgender girls playing on girl’s sports teams.