Utah Valley Times

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, alongside Senator Jim Risch and Representative Burgess Owens, has joined a group of congressional members from the Mountain West region in urging the Mountain West Conference to prohibit biological males from participating in women's sports. This action aims to protect female student-athletes' safety and competitive fairness.

The letter sent by the lawmakers emphasizes that "Title IX recognizes the fundamental biological differences between men and women and allows each to pursue educational programs and activities equally, including athletics." The lawmakers express concern that failing to acknowledge these differences could endanger female athletes. They argue that "the Mountain West Conference is failing to create an environment that allows women to compete without fearing for their safety."

In addition to Romney, Risch, and Owens, other signatories include U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Mike Lee, and U.S. Representatives Russ Fulcher, Mike Simpson, John Curtis, Celeste Maloy, Blake Moore, and Harriet Hageman.

The letter addressed to Ms. Nevarez of the Mountain West Conference highlights recent incidents where women's teams forfeited games due to safety concerns about competing against teams with biological males on their rosters. The lawmakers commend these athletes for their courage in upholding Title IX principles.

Referencing a decision by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) earlier this year—where it was unanimously voted that only students whose biological sex is female can compete in women's sports—the letter calls for similar measures within the NCAA.

The current 2024-2025 Mountain West Conference handbook states that gender equity involves fair distribution of opportunities across men's and women's sports teams. However, according to the lawmakers' letter: "Permitting biological men to play in women’s sports is not equitable; it is an injustice."

The group urges immediate action from the conference to address what they see as inequities impacting women’s collegiate sports.