The White House dodged a question on transgender participation in college sports during Monday’s press briefing.
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki if the Biden administration thought it was fair that biological males are now competing against women in college sports.
The White House is “not the governing body for the NCAA or any other system out there,” Psaki responded.
Instead, she said “broadly” the White House celebrated “Transgender Day of Visibility” on Thursday “with a slate of new actions to ensure we continue to protect the dignity and identity of all Americans at a moment where we are looking at and we’re seeing increased mental health issues related to young people, especially LGBTQ+ young people.”
“We’re providing additional funding and resources to address this issue and we hope all leaders can focus on those important issues and the impact on many of these young people who are impacted across the country,” she added.
Transgender participation in women’s sports has been a topic of debate in recent months amid nationwide contention over University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ domination of the collegiate women’s league. Most recently she crushed opponents in the 500 freestyle at the NCAA Women’s Championships.
As part of its celebration of “Transgender Day of Visibility,” the White House condemned “the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks that have been introduced and passed in state legislatures around the country.” At least 12 states have passed laws that ban biological men from competing in women’s sports.
On March 28, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, that prohibits discussions on gender identity and sexual orientation in the state’s K-3 grades “or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Opponents of the law falsely claim that it bans the word “gay” from the state’s public schools, framing it as an attack on the LGBTQ community. Critics—including the White House, Democratic politicians, the media, LGBTQ advocates, and the entertainment industry—have pushed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill narrative.
“The evidence is clear that these types of bills stigmatize and worsen the well-being and mental health of transgender kids, and they put loving and supportive families across the country at risk of discrimination and harassment,” the White House’s Thursday statement added. “As the President has said, these bills are government overreach at its worst, they are un-American, and they must stop.”
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