Dear Governor Noem,

Thank you for your efforts to protect women’s sports. 

As you know, in the realm of athletics, biological sex differences matter. Without separate male and female athletic teams, men will dominate women in the majority of competitive sports. That is because, physiologically, the average male is stronger, bigger, and faster than the average female.  Unfortunately, today, we are forced to defend this obvious proposition on an almost daily basis. 

That’s why Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Law Center have teamed up to release a groundbreaking new report titled, COMPETITION: Title IX, Male-Bodied Athletes, and the Threat To Women’s Sports. The report is the only comprehensive document that outlines the law of sex discrimination and women’s sports,  analyzes the scientific evidence regarding the male-female athletic gap, and reviews testimony from some of the female athletes who have been forced to compete with or against male-bodied athletes.

We hope you find this report useful in your efforts to protect women’s sports in South Dakota. Women have fought long and hard for equal athletic opportunities, and allowing males to compete against females will limit women’s chances of success, take spots (and potential scholarships) away from women, and place women at risk of injury.

Thank you for supporting efforts to protect female athletes in your state.

Respectfully,

Hadley Heath Manning
Director of Policy
Independent Women’s Forum

Jennifer C. Braceras
Director
Independent Women’s Law Center