Vice President Kamala Harris has stayed mum on the issue of transgender athletes competing in female sports, but former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said the Democrat presidential candidate has actually been “worse than silent.”
Ms. Gabbard, the former Hawaii Democrat who recently switched to Republican, cited the Biden administration’s efforts to add “gender identity” to Title IX, which would extend its ban on sex discrimination in education to male-to-female transgender students.
“And of course, in the presidential race, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have been worse than silent,” Ms. Gabbard said Sunday at the “Stand With Women” forum on fairness in women’s sports in Philadelphia.
She said that instead of trying to pass the Title IX rewrite through legislation, “they back-doored this, made the changes to Title IX,” and issued a guidance threatening to withhold federal funding for lunches to schools that refused to comply with gender-identity mandates.
“So this is the danger and the contrast, and one of the reasons why I’m supporting President Trump in this election,” Ms. Gabbard said. “Because you’ve seen what they’ve already done over the last four years under the Harris-Biden administration. Everything that we’ve seen on this issue and so many others — it will get radically worse if Kamala Harris is elected.”
Ms. Gabbard was among the headliners at the forum sponsored by the Independent Women’s Voice and emceed by All-American swimmer Riley Gaines.
“If our leaders cannot find it within themselves to stand with women, then I say it’s time we elect new leaders,” said Ms. Gaines, an Independent Women’s Forum ambassador and host of OutKick’s “Gaines on Girls” podcast.
The event came a day after University of Nevada women’s volleyball players held a press conference at game time Saturday confirming their decision to forfeit their match against San Jose State University, whose team includes a biological male who identifies as female.
Sia Liilii, the Nevada team captain, also came to the Philadelphia rally and said the players were nervous about losing their scholarships and roster spots, especially since university officials tried to convince them to change their minds in what she described as “emotional warfare.”
“The countless meetings that my teammates and I were [dragged] into, telling us that were not educated enough, that we didn’t know what the science is behind it, that this person was actually at a disadvantage toward us women because they were under all these drugs,” Ms. Liilii said.
“I’m here today to tell those women who are forced to play against these biological males that you have a voice, so use it and be courageous, be brave, and don’t fear anything,” she said as the crowd erupted in applause.
The university has said that the state constitution and state law “strictly protect equality of rights under the law” based on factors including gender identity.
Nevada became the fifth school to cancel or forfeit its match against San Jose State. Four of the schools, including San Jose, belong to the Mountain West Conference, a Division I NCAA conference.
Joining the first panel was @TulsiGabbard, @Riley_Gaines_, & @SiaLiilii speaking out about the challenges female athletes are facing at the hands of the Biden-Harris administration & sport governing bodies. https://t.co/L5XYNCmmFN pic.twitter.com/2YGSfsKTVN
— Independent Women’s Voice (@IWV) October 27, 2024
The “Stand With Women” forum was not a political event, but Ms. Gabbard took a number of shots at Democrats for placing transgender inclusion above fairness for female athletes.
“Every single Democrat in the House and the Senate, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, not only do not stand with women, they have voted against legislation that has come before Congress that would have provided them with the opportunity to take a stand to protect women and girls in sports,” she said.
She called the issue “a huge defining line in the choice that we all have in this election.”
The Democratic Party “claims to be the champion of women — you hear this all the time in the election now — and it also is the party that says we must believe all women,” Ms. Gabbard said, referring to a popular slogan in the context of charges of sexual misconduct against men.
“Why don’t you believe Sia?” she asked. “Why don’t you believe her teammates and those who are afraid of being smashed in the face by a male player at full force with a volleyball?”
The forum also featured former ESPN host Sage Steele, former “The View” co-host Meghan McCain, former Oberlin women’s lacrosse coach Kim Russell, and a host of female athletes who have competed against male-born competitors.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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