Senator Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Senator for West Virginia | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Senator for West Virginia | Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito and a group of Republican colleagues have reached out to NCAA President Charlie Baker, requesting further clarification on the organization's policies regarding biological males in women's locker rooms. The letter, spearheaded by U.S. Senator Jim Justice, seeks to address concerns about the privacy and safety of female athletes.
The senators expressed support for the NCAA's recent policy update following an executive order from President Donald J. Trump, which bars biological male students from participating in women's sports. "We commend the NCAA's quick action to comply with President Trump's order and write to encourage the NCAA to take additional steps to protect the safety and privacy of female athletes nationwide," they stated.
The letter was signed by Senators Tommy Tuberville, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Mike Crapo, James Risch, and Jim Banks alongside Capito and Justice.
In their correspondence, the senators requested that the NCAA consider adding explicit language to its policy that would bar biological male athletes from accessing female-only spaces such as locker rooms. They also suggested adopting additional privacy protections for women and girls in sports.
Furthermore, they praised the NCAA's definition of "sex assigned at birth" as recorded on birth certificates and urged that amended birth certificates should not be used for eligibility purposes.
The group concluded by expressing their support for President Trump's actions aimed at protecting female athletes' rights and looked forward to collaborating with the NCAA on this matter.