With transgender sports bill, Gov. Beshear vetoed ‘fairness’ he claims to espouse

Women’s sports leagues were created for one reason: to create an environment where women could compete against other women on a level playing field — literally and figuratively. This is why, beginning in the late 19th century, women formed their own informal sports leagues that allowed only women. And until Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill to keep it this way, women’s sports was set to continue as an athletic space in which women could be assured of fair competition.

What is interesting about the Governor’s stated reasons for rejecting Senate Bill 83 is that they completely avoided the issue of fairness, one which he and his fellow Democrats are usually enthusiastic about. Even the so-called “Fairness Campaign,” which bothered to put the term in its title, suddenly abandoned the term altogether in order to oppose a bill that would have guaranteed it.

In fact, it’s going to be hard for many Kentuckians to forget that when the General Assembly passed a bill to ensure fairness in women’s sports, the cultural industry that uses “fairness” as its mantra — and the governor who has allied himself with it —suddenly went silent on the issue.

Instead the Governor talked about how public officials should demonstrate to “transgender children” that they are “valued members of the community.” There are male athletes all over the state who are “valued members of the community,” but we don’t let them play in female sports.

And there is another mantra, popular with the Governor and many of his supporters, that bit the dust when he announced his rejection of the bill: “follow the science.” That there are important physical differences between males and females is not even a debatable issue, at least not among those with a healthy relationship to reality. Other things being equal, they are stronger, faster, and have more endurance.

Again, this is why we have women’s sports in the first place.

The public outcry is only going to continue to grow. The worst thing that could happen to LGBTQ advocates pushing for women’s sports to open up to biological males would be success. Commonsense Americans, and Kentuckians, will not stand by as males begin dominating women’s sports.

In fact, it’s already happening. Not only that, but so smug are athletic officials that they are doing everything to make their own situation worse.

The need for SB 83, and the necessity of including college athletes, has been on full display as swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, recently won a NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship, knocking a female to 2nd place. And the impact hit even closer to home when Riley Gaines, a female swimmer at the University of Kentucky, tied with Thomas in another race at the Championships. Not only did she suffer the indignity of competing with an opponent she knew had an unfair competitive advantage, she had to watch while the NCAA basically ignored her in favor of showcasing the male in the race, Lia Thomas.

According to WDRB News, an NCAA official told her that they were going in “chronological order.” “We tied,” said Gaines. “What are we being chronological about?” Not only that, but, despite the fact that she tied, she didn’t even get a trophy at the event. “We’re just going to give the trophy to Lia,” said the official.” We respect and admire your swim, but Lia needs to hold the trophy.”

The General Assembly has time to override the Governor’s veto, and it should. They could show the people who are always talking about fairness what it really looks like.

Martin Cothran is a policy analyst for The Family Foundation.

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 9:54 AM.