The National Collegiate Athletic Association expressed support for transgender women in female sports, making biological women "obsolete" in their own category, according to a report.
The Western Journal reported the NCAA "threw female athletes under the bus" when it anounced through a statement on Monday its full support for transgender athletes.
In its statement on Transgender Participation, the NCAA expressed its firm and unequivocal support for biological males to participate in women's sports citing its "values of inclusion and fair competition" as basis for its stand on the matter.
"The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition," it said.
"The NCAA has a long-standing policy that provides a more inclusive path for transgender participation in college sports. Our approach-- which requires testosterone suppression treatment for transgender women to compete in women's sports--embraces the evolving science on this issue and is anchored in participation policies of both the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport," the NCAA elaborated.
The NCAA added it it clearly expects all student-athletes be treated with respect and dignity out of its commitment to ensure the "NCAA championships are open for all who earn the right to compete in them." The organization also identified the need to provide "an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination" for the location of championships. They also ensured close monitoring of "these situations" so that NCAA championships are held in a "welcoming and respectful" manner to all participants.
The Journal highlighted the long-time debate on the issue of allowing biological males into women's sports and cited several instances where doing so did not benefit women themselves.
It identified the case of Gabrielle Ludwig who HBO described in its 2013 tweet as "the only known person to play college basketball as both a man and a woman." The Journal said Ludwig, whose birth name is Robert, was a military veteran who joined the Mission College women's basketball team.
Did the talk hosts in D.C deserve to be suspended for their comments on Gabrielle Ludwig? http://t.co/tc2j3Lgf pic.twitter.com/VoAzdBOb
"” WEEI (@WEEI) December 13, 2012
It also cited Texas' girls' wrestling, which in recent years permitted Mack Beggs, a biological female who received testosterone and steroid therapy to transition to become a male, to competitively wrestle with biological girls. The media outlet stressed that despite what has transpired in the past, the debate continued especially after President Joe Biden backed transgender women to play in women's sports.
On the other hand, Inside Higher Ed reported that the NCAA statement comes as "a warning and a price tag" directed at lawmakers who ban biological males to participate in women's sports in college.
Inside Higher Ed said the NCAA statement was applauded by LGBTQ advocates who took a stand on several states for restricting the participation of transgender women in college sports. They cited national expert on gender equity in sport Donna Lopiano for praising the NCAA Board of Governors on their official statement on the issue.
"I don't get the chance to applaud them often, especially in the last couple weeks. There's no question that at the state level in particular, economics makes a difference. If that's what it takes for people to have a good conversation about this and come to a solution about this issue, that's all good," Lopiano said.
