Sen. Sawrey Backs ‘Fairness In Women’s Sports Act’

Senator Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston).

RALEIGH – Today, Republicans in the North Carolina Senate passed legislation to protect fair competition and promote safety in school athletics. Senate Bill 631, “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” is a commonsense solution to the unfair advantage gained when biological males compete in female sports.

The bill, co-sponsored by every Senate Republican, requires that middle and high school sports teams designated for females be for biological females only, meaning that biological men who identify as women cannot be on the team. Several governing sports bodies have taken similar measures to assure fairness and safety in sports. A British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that even when biological men undergo testosterone suppression they still have physical advantages over women.

“We’ve spent decades building women’s athletics in the United States and this legislation will ensure that women and girls in North Carolina will have a level, equal playing field in the future. Hearing Riley Gaines’ story was powerful and gave a new sense of urgency to pass this bill. I was proud to be a co-sponsor and look forward to seeing it become law in North Carolina.” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston).

In North Carolina, there has already been an incident that raised serious safety concerns among local school leaders. During a volleyball game in Cherokee County, a biological male severely injured a female volleyball player after spiking a ball in the girl’s face. The school district cancelled future games due to safety concerns.

A statewide survey found that 70% of North Carolinians oppose men playing in women’s sports, and an April 2023 poll from The Economist/YouGov shows that 55% of Americans oppose allowing athletes to play on teams based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

20 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you Sen. Sawrey!! It is actually very sad that this has to be done. It should be common sense that biological males should NOT be allowed to compete against biological females. This mess started under the demented-obama administration and it’s way past time for it to end. Men need to start being men again and women need to start being women again. There is no in-between.

    • What does it mean to “be a woman again.” Barefoot and pregnant? Subservient to men? Not allowed to have their own bank accounts or credit cards? Guess what, you don’t get to have your own little white christian utopia where women cater to you. You don’t get to dictate how we live. Your time is up.

  2. What a joke…. there are more than 12,000 student athletes in NC. Of those, 11 are transgender — 0.09%. Describing this bill as anything but targeted discrimination is laughable. If Sawrey were serious about “fairness in women’s sports,” he’d require that all women’s sports be funded at the same dollar level as others (currently in NC women’s sports receive only ~60%). And while the GOP has its sheep up in arms about transgender sports (and drag queens), they’ve pushed through a budget bill that INCREASES spending by $400M!!!! It is hard to tell today’s GOP apart from the tax-and-spend Dems!!! Where is the Grand Old Party that stood for personal freedoms, smaller government, and fiscal responsibility? #VoteOutIncumbents

    • Yes, only 11, however, the woke left wants to change a bunch of rules for them to participate. Maybe ask the young girl with the concussion and facial lacerations from a boy playing girls volleyball. And what HS girls sports are funded less than boys sports. Plus, revenue is king. Produce more revenue and get more funding

      • @RockyMount: Last year, there were 7 medical emergencies at NC HS girls volleyball ball games — none caused by transgender players. But keep thinking it is about “safety.” I’d you really think funding is equal, you haven’t been paying attention. At SSS for example, girl’s funding is roughly 68% of boys. But keep telling yourself that banning transgender students is about “fairness” if it helps you sleep at night.

        • So I guess we should then change the laws and rules that are specific to girls. Btw, what funding are girls sports not getting that they need. And btw, funding of spurts has nothing to do with boys playing girls sports but good job changing thecsubjrct. And are you saying that the girl who received the concussion and lacerations is lying when she says a boy did it?

          • My funding comment was in response to the claims that this is about “fairness.” Everyone simply needs to be honest with themselves as to what this is really about — obviously *not* faitness. Just be honest.

  3. To be fair and balanced—The House members of our county, Larry Strickland and Donna White, voted it out of committee the day before (the 19th). Then it went to the Senate where Senator Burgin also voted in favor of it. If naming names, recognize all of them.

  4. Good for him. Any women on here ok with men showering, changing and exposing themselves to your daughters or even have them play sports against them, please explain.

    • Because this doesn’t happen. Want to protect women and girls? Look in the mirror. The biggest threat to women and girls is straight men. Look up how many kids were harmed by trans folks last week. Now look up how many were abused by pastors. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
      Spare me your fake outrage, oh defender of womankind.

      • Already has happened. How many pastors or white mean do you let change in women’s locker room. Sorry for whatever happened to you. Your bitterness towards Ben is pretty obvious.

  5. Changing gender is “physicaly and scientifically impossible”, even with surgery.

    The OBJECTIVE AND UNDISPUTED science is that females (“women”) have an “X-X” pair of chromosomes and males (“men”) have an “X-Y” pair of chromosomes.

    No amount of hormone treatments or hormone suppression drugs can change the objective science. Not even so-called “gender reassignment surgery” (also a fiction) is able to transmute an “X” chromosome into a “Y” chromosome (or vice-versa).

    • @Yes: The amount of scientific ignorance in your post is startling…. but pretty typical of the (lack) of scientific knowledge in our country today. First, you’ve completely glossed over the XXY and X chromosome combinations. Then you’ve ignored how genes such as SRY, DMRT1, and FOXL2 can change “biological sex” regardless of chromosome combination. And finally, you’ve overlooked how the brain (specifically the preoptic area) influences sexuality and creatsmes a male or female brain. But in today’s day and age, where people still believe that the Earth is flat or that vaccines impact 5g cell phone coverage, many people confuse fact with fiction. The real question is… why are we increasing government regulation and reducing personal freedoms. While they scare you about transgender athletes, the government slowly but surely chips away at our freedoms. #VoteOutIncumbents

      • Feel free to have a boy dress as a girl or a girl dress as a boy. Don’t see many girls who claim they feel like a boy playing boys sports in HS. Wonder why that is. We are accepting mental illness as being ok. There are schools allowing furries now. Mental illness should be treated. There are two genders. Boys can’t get pregnant. Boys cants have periods. Stop the madness.

  6. Good. We need to absolutely reject these sentiments and anti-science ideologies from all of public life. Let those struggling with mental illness get the help they need, not a trophy.

  7. Look at all the men suddenly thinking they are “protecting” women. Freaking spare me! Let us control our own medical decisions if you care so much. (Spoiler alter: you don’t.) This is nothing but targeted hate so you small minded, backwoods bigots can feel better about your pathetic selves. LET PEOPLE LIVE.

    • Tell me you are a brainwashed, media liberal without telling me you are a brainwashed, media liberal.
      I am a woman with a teenage daughter. I am very thankful to not have to wonder who is in the locker room with my daughter or who is on the other side of the court smashing balls at her. I know if these sick people want to get to my daughter they will but one more layer of protection is fine with me!

    • What medical decisions of yours are people controlling? Targeted hate?? Because we dont want children to be mutilated when they are not old enough to make decisions. You really should seek help. This pent up anger is unhealthy.

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