Women’s Rights And Gender Justice Organizations in Support of the Equality Act

We, the undersigned women’s rights and gender justice organizations, strongly endorse the Equality Act because advancing civil rights for LGBTQ people is critical to advancing women’s rights and gender justice. One reason the Equality Act is needed is to protect transgender girls and women, who face disproportionately high rates of sex-based discrimination—including sexual assault—which has devastating effects on their ability to stay and succeed in school. As courts and scientists overwhelmingly have stated, transgender girls and women are girls and women. Unfortunately, transgender girls’ and women’s participation in school sports consistent with their gender identity has become a cudgel used to attack the Act. The Equality Act does not amend Title IX and its protections for women’s and girls’ athletics and would simply codify existing protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in accordance with Title IX, the reasoning in the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision, and President Biden’s January 20, 2021 executive order. Girls and women who are transgender should have the same opportunities as girls and women who are cisgender to enjoy the educational benefits of sports, such as higher grades, higher graduation rates, and greater psychological well-being. These protections would be consistent with existing trans-inclusive athletics laws or policies in 24 states and DC that have already been in place for more than a decade and that have benefited all girls and women. Indeed, cisgender girls and women in these states have continued to enjoy opportunities to play and to win and have even participated in athletics at higher rates in many of these states after trans-inclusive policies or laws were adopted. We strongly support the Equality Act and know that its passage would be a victory for all girls and women.