This opinion piece was written and submitted by Heather Anderson.

The following opinion piece is a community submission and doesn’t reflect the opinion of TRN Media. 

Dear Sirs and Madam,

I am writing to you today to discuss an issue that is very important to me as a former athlete, coach,
mother, and woman.

As I am sure you know, last month President Biden signed an executive order allowing boys that identify as girls to play in women’s sports. I cannot begin to tell you how unfair this is to women and most importantly younger girls. There is a biological difference in men and women that can be fully explained in any anatomy and physiology class.

Title IX was enacted in 1972 to equal the playing field for women, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This civil rights amendment directly refers to a person’s sex at birth. It does not refer to anything else that is currently being tossed around.

I am not here to tell people how to live their life, nor do I care, but I do care that women’s rights are being
stripped away without a fight. As a woman growing up during this time, it was because of Title IX that I
was allowed a fair and equitable place to compete and grow as a female athlete and as a person. I would
hope my daughter will continue to have that same opportunity.

If you do not believe it is an issue come to any one of my softball or basketball practices. I will not let my girls’ scrimmage against boys for safety concerns. Boys hit harder, throw harder and have a much more aggressive attitude while engaged in sporting activities. Serious injuries can and do happen in these situations. Same goes for any other sport.

This executive order completely does away with everything both me and many, many others have fought for the past 49 years. This fight continues today in our State! After over 10 years of fighting with Athletic
Directors, Schools, and the Wyoming High School Activities Association we were finally able to get Girls
High School Softball recognized as a school sanctioned sport last year. In Wyoming, girls have had fewer sports, athletes, and funding than boys for over 10 years, up until now! Our inaugural season kicks off this spring for Girls High School Softball.

This Executive Order might not seem like a big deal to many, but for those of us that coach young women it MOST definitely is! Several states, including Texas, Arkansas and Utah have put forth state legislation that secures a protected space for girls’ and women’s sports in K-12 athletics. I would urge you to do the same. I would love the opportunity to discuss this with you. Thank you.