3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Launches Petition Demanding the WNBA Define What a Woman Is

With the backing of Lara Trump, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, and former professional basketball players Charles Barkley and Enes Kanter Freedom, a three-time Olympic gold medalist launched a petition this week demanding that the Women’s National Basketball Association define “woman” as female.

Nancy Hogshead, who won three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming for the United States at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, launched the petition after several Republican members of Congress, led by Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., sent a letter to the league demanding that it define what a woman is.

As it stands, the league claims that only women are allowed to play, but it has not defined what being a woman is, despite numerous calls from members of Congress and current and former athletes.

“I’ve spent decades fighting for safe and equal opportunities for women in sports, both as an athlete and as a civil rights attorney,” Hogshead, who is now an American civil rights lawyer, said in a press release. “As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I underwent sex verification myself. It was a simple cheek swab, and I know firsthand why clear eligibility standards matter.”

“I only wish we’d had similarly effective safeguards to catch the systematic doping of East German women swimmers in my era,” the gold medalist continued.

Hogshead, whose petition has garnered more than 21,000 signatures since its launch, added that this effort, along with the House Republican letter, is crucial for protecting women’s sports.

“That’s why I support Rep. Stutzman’s letter and launched my Change.org petition calling on the WNBA to define ‘woman’ as female. Without clear standards, male intrusion is inevitable. Males have competed in every level of female sport, from elite international competitions, to schools, professional leagues, and masters leagues,” she added. “It’s time for the WNBA to protect what generations of women fought to build: the female category.”

She calls on the league to allow only players who have been female from birth.

As stated in the petition, Hogshead understands that women “train, sacrifice, compete, and fight unimaginably hard for the opportunity to reach the pinnacle of their sport,” and should be reassured that when “they step onto the court, they will be competing on a level playing field, without biological males.“

In her petition, Hogshead described the issue as one that “is not complicated,” arguing that the WNBA “exists for women and their fans. Biological female athletes deserve clear rules that ensure fair competition and uphold the opportunities that women’s sports advocates have worked over decades to create and provide.”

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