thefederalist.com
2025-04-11
Even after various states have passed legislation to protect women's sports and President Donald Trump signed an executive order to enforce federal protections, girls are still being forced to compete against boys.
Kim Jones hears "floods" of stories from girls who are forced to compete with, or share inappropriate spaces with, boys who identify as girls. Jones is co-founder of the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), a "network and advocacy group" for protecting women's sports.
"Their parents call, and there's generally a lot of tears. 'What can I do? Can you please help me? No one's listening,'" Jones said. "The girls are kind of shell-shocked in many cases. I mean, they've cried, they're upset, they've lost."
When boys play in girls' sports, according to Jones, it "rips girls' friendships apart" as many just "want to get along." She found this affects far more than those in elite sports -- it reaches girls across the country, even in middle school athletics. Jones said one of her youngest cases involved an 11-year-old girl who wanted to quit soccer after being forced to play against biological boys.