Today the Minnesota Senate passed a comprehensive education budget that focuses on students and empowers parents. Included in the bill is language authored by Senator Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point) that preserves women’s rights and the gains made from Title IX by prohibiting boys from joining interscholastic or intramural athletics that are designed for women or girls.
“When I was in school, there was no Title IX and no way for women to compete in sporting events,” said Senator Ruud. “Title IX has been instrumental to women and athletics, and women fought long and hard to earn equal athletic opportunities. We can’t allow progressive ideals to crush our girl athletes’ dreams of setting sports records, competing at the next level, pursing athletic scholarship opportunities, and launching their careers in athletics and coaching.”
Ruud’s included language seeks to “Save Women’s Sports” by ensuring that only biological females are competing in the female category. Title IX currently allows females to compete on male teams when there are no comparable sports available for women, but every time a male is given a spot on a woman’s team, a woman is potentially displaced. Studies have shown that an influx of hormones doesn’t undo males’ larger hearts and lungs, denser bones, and stronger muscles. A boy’s belief about his gender should not cancel out his physical advantage—in sports, it is biology that matters, not identity.
“I am glad to see this important language included in the education budget. Boys will always have a physical advantage over girls—it’s why we have women’s sports. Allowing boys to compete with girls undermines Title IX and reverses nearly 50 years of advancements in equal opportunity for women. We need to protect women’s sports in Minnesota,” finished Sen. Ruud.
Other key provisions of the bill include the creation of Educational Savings Accounts to allow families to make learning decisions that meet their own needs, safe schools revenue, a digital well-being grant to address the negative effects of screen overuse, rural career and technical education grants, and the suspension of any new social studies standards changes.