Testimonies can be found HERE once the hearing begins.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) today announced Paula Scanlan, Stand with Women spokeswoman and advisor for IWF, May Mailman, senior legal fellow for Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC), and Chloe Cole, who has shared her detransition story through IWF’s “Identity Crisis” documentary series, will testify on the harms of gender ideology before the United States House Committee on the Judiciary at 10:00 a.m. ET today, July 26.
The hearing, entitled, “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’” will examine and expose how children are being coerced by adults in positions of authority into life-altering gender transition procedures and how these decisions have led to due process violations. Scanlan, Mailman, and Cole will share unique perspectives on the issue, including firsthand accounts sharing a girls’ locker room with a biological male, of gender transition,, and of legal advocacy for women’s issues.
Scanlan will share her personal story about participating on the same team with biological male Lia Thomas, being forced without her consent to share a locker room with Thomas, and details of how the university handled Thomas’ transition from the men’s team to the women’s team.
In her testimony, Scanlan writes, “My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a six-feet four-inch tall biological man fully-intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week. Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls and others used the family bathroom to avoid this. To sum up the university’s response: we, the women, were the problem, not the victims.”
Mailman will speak on how gender ideology destroys women and girls by dissolving legal protections for women. In her testimony, Mailman writes, in part, “Title IX has benefitted the women who for so long were locked out of athletic opportunities. Unfortunately, in April 2023, the Department of Education proposed a rule that, if adopted, would flip Title IX on its head. In other words, the proposed rule upends the default position that women’s sports are for biological females and establishes a new default position that women’s sports are for anyone who identifies as a woman.”
Hearing witnesses include:
- Paula Scanlan, Stand with Women Spokeswoman and Advisor for IWF;
- May Mailman, Senior Legal Fellow for IWLC;
- Chloe Cole, Detransitioner featured in IWF’s “Identity Crisis” series; and
- Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at Family Research Council
Specific areas of concern that witnesses will highlight include:
- The impact of allowing biological males in women’s private spaces, especially among women who have experienced sexual trauma;
- The destruction of free speech and cancel culture that shuts down any call to maintain the sanctity of women’s spaces; and
- The Department of Education taking unlawful authority to mandate gender-identity-based athletics, which would upend Title IX.
Witnesses will call upon Congress to:
- Bring awareness to violence against women and consider the issue in light of sexual assault survivors and the experiences of biological women;
- Consider this issue outside the lens of political affiliations and understand the true impact of ignoring the realities of womanhood; and
- Ensure the Department of Education finds its authority in the laws only Congress has considered and authorized.
Details:
WHAT: The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’” Hearing
WHEN: Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. E.T.
WHERE: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2141
Media Inquiries: [email protected]
Scanlan’s and Mailman’s full testimonies will be available HERE at 10:00 a.m. ET.
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Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.