Women’s sports activists unite to condemn ACLU for trans athlete promotion

Several female athletes and women’s sports activists took aim at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a Super Bowl-style ad on Saturday. 

In the latest TV spot by the sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics, a coalition of “Save Women’s Sports” activists, led by Riley Gaines, mocked the ACLU for its recent video promoting the rights of trans athletes in women’s sports. 

For their “More Than A Game” campaign, the ACLU posted a video, featuring former women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe, in support of trans athletes. On its website, the group says it is standing with trans youth and their families and their rights to “be themselves.”

Now, Gaines and XX-XY Athletics co-founder Jennifer Sey hit back with their “Women’s Sports Aren’t Just A Game” ad. 

The promotion featured prominent activists, including former San Jose State University volleyball player Brooke Slusser, former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler, former ESPN host Sage Steele and OutKick founder Clay Travis. 

The ACLU has been on the receiving end of immense criticism from women’s activists in recent years for its role in defending the inclusion of biological male trans athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. ACLU attorneys defended trans athletes in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13.

One of the clients the ACLU represented in the hearing was a trans teen from West Virginia. The teen has been accused of sexual harassment in the girls’ locker room by the family of a female teammate. The ACLU has denied the allegations. 

Sey called out the ACLU for defending the teen amid the allegations. 

INSIDE THE SCOTUS HEARING BOUND TO BE A TURNING POINT IN THE CULTURE WAR OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

“The ACLU is attempting to erase the fact that [the teen] is a boy. A boy who has been accused of sexual harassment of his teammates in the locker room. They are attempting to paint him as both the victim and a nice girl just wanting to hang out with friends and have fun on the team. That is insulting to the girls who train hard to even make the team,” Sey told Fox News Digital.

“It devalues their hard work. Girls are not impaired boys. Women and girls are not a category that can be opted into. We are resetting the cultural conversation. And we aren’t giving an inch. Not on language. Or fairness. Or girls’ and women’s rights,” 

“The ACLU is attempting to redefine the meaning of competitive sports as well as what a woman is. We aren’t going to let that happen. A woman is an adult human female and sports are not about freedom and self-expression. Sports are about digging deep to find the best in yourself. Sports are about mastery and merit and yes, vying to win. Women deserve an equal playing field. They deserve the chance to compete and to win.” 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the ACLU for a response. 

The ACLU previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the allegations against its client. 

“Our client and her mother deny these allegations and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by A.C. and found them to be unsubstantiated. We remain committed to defending the rights of all students under Title IX, including the right to a safe and inclusive learning environment free from harassment and discrimination,” the statement read.

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During the Jan. 13 SCOTUS hearing, ACLU attorney Joshua Block argued to justices that “sex” should not be defined. 

Block then fled questioning from Fox News Digital outside the court on his argument and the allegations against his client. 

Despite expectations that the court’s conservative majority will ultimately rule against the ACLU’s trans athlete clients, the firm is still being highly vocal in its support for males in women’s sports. 

Sey, Gaines and the other activists appear they will push back, fiercely. 

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