New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms has been advocating for gender sanity and for women’s privacy and safety ever since 2003, when the Bathroom Bill (also known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA) was first introduced in the New York State Legislature.[1] Twenty years ago, few observers could have foreseen how rapidly the “transgender” movement would progress and how easy it would be to get many Americans to give in to its outrageous demands.
Transgenderism is the false belief that “every person has a ‘gender identity’ (an inner sense of being male, female, something else, or in between) distinct from his or her sex and that, when the two conflict, gender identity should take precedence.”[2] Over the past two decades, Christians reacted with shock and bewilderment as New York and 22 other states passed laws protecting individuals from discrimination based upon their “transgender” identities and behaviors. Numerous cities and counties did the same. Corporate employers began implementing policies to accommodate “transgenderism” in the workplace. In 2016, the Obama administration permitted “transgender” individuals to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and to utilize opposite-sex facilities.[3] In 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States erroneously ruled that Title VII—a federal law banning sex discrimination in employment—also banned employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender identity. In the Democratic Party, the acceptance and celebration of “transgenderism” quickly became the norm. Amongst elected Republicans, some quietly opposed “transgender” policies, a few caved in and supported such policies, and most made every effort to avoid the issue altogether. Recently, advocates have promoted transgenderism by holding Drag Story Hours in libraries and schools, opening girls’ and women’s sports teams to “transgender” participants, and—most appallingly—providing hormones and surgeries to facilitate the so-called “gender transitions” of minors.
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to report that widespread political pushback against “transgenderism” has finally begun. It’s a powerful pushback. According to the Associated Press, at least 16 states have passed laws protecting girls’ sports against participation by male athletes. U.S. News and World Report indicates that at least 14 states have banned the use of “transgender” medical treatments on minors. Led by conservative governors and state legislators, many other states are considering similar measures. Even the U.S. House of Representatives has gotten in on the act; earlier this month, the House passed the Parents Bill of Rights Act.
Here in New York, two brave legislators—Sen. George Borrello (R-Jamestown) and Asm. Andy Goodell (R-Chautauqua)—have taken an important step for gender sanity by introducing a bill to protect girls’ sports from male participation. Bill S.6259-Borrello/A.6124-Goodell would bar males in public and private schools from participating in interscholastic girls’ sports in grades seven through 12. Protecting girls’ sports from transgenderism makes sense as a matter of fairness and as a matter of honesty. Adolescent and post-adolescent males have an unfair advantage over adolescent and post-adolescent females in most sports because of their greater size, speed, and strength. Allowing males to participate in girls’ sports can unfairly deprive girls of victories and scholarships to which they would otherwise be entitled. More importantly, allowing males with gender dysphoria to classify themselves as girls is dishonest. Girls’ sports should not be forced to accommodate the false claims of transgenderism.
The Borrello-Goodell bill’s chance of passage is remote, but so was the chance that the Bathroom Law would pass when it was first introduced back in 2003. Twenty years from now, things could be different. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms expresses our gratitude and respect to Sen. Borrello and Asm. Goodell for introducing this important measure. We pray that the Lord will protect them against any attempted reprisals.
[1] The Bathroom Bill was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019. As many Christian New Yorkers know, the Bathroom Law bans discrimination based on “gender identity or expression” in housing, employment, and public accommodations. In essence, the Bathroom Law gives men who identify as “transgender” the right to access female-only restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms in public places.
[2] Kearns, Madeleine. “Gender Expectations: Trans identity in teens considered as a social contagion.” National Review, vol. LXXV, no. 3, February 20, 2023, pp. 21-23.
[3] The Trump administration later took steps to roll back this policy, but the Biden administration reinstated it.