By: State Senator Dan Knodl and State Representative Barbara Dittrich
Governor Evers often repeats the phrase “the will of the people is the law of the land,” but this week, he defied the will of an overwhelming majority of Wisconsin residents in vetoing the Saving Women’s Sports Act.
Protecting the integrity of women’s sports isn’t about exclusion or discrimination—it’s about upholding the principles of fairness and safety. Female athletes deserve better than to have their hard-earned accomplishments undermined by political posturing. Ideology aside, biological males have undeniably inherent and measurable physical advantages from increased muscle mass to higher metabolism rates to greater lung capacity. These have already emerged by early adolescence.
This disparity increases the risk of injury, which is why men’s and women’s sports have always been separated. Most recently, high school athlete Payton McNabb lost her college sports aspirations due to a volleyball injury caused by a biological male playing against her team. We also cannot forget the students who have suffered sexual assault or abuse whose trauma is compounded after being forced to have biological males invade their spaces.
This legislation did not “ban” anyone from participating in sports, but rather acknowledged these realities faced by females. Instead, the governor chose to listen to the voices of his party’s far-left core and wealthy coastal elite donor base.
Make no mistake, failing to address this issue sets a dangerous precedent for women’s sports nationwide. Without protective measures in place, female athletes also risk losing opportunities for scholarships, recognition, and advancement in their respective sports over disparities that they cannot control. Major international sporting bodies including World Athletics, the International Cycling Union, and World Aquatics have begun taking measures to ensure that the hard-won protections for women’s sports remain in place.
Recent Marquette polling reveals over 70% of Wisconsinites believe that participation in sports should be based on the athlete’s gender at birth. National polling by Pew Research shows that support for these measures has been increasing, including among individuals who know at least one transgender individual.
Over twenty states have listened to the public and taken action to prioritize fairness and safety in athletics and ensure that all athletes have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Wisconsin could have been next. The governor’s veto of the Saving Women’s Sports Act is a setback for women’s sports and a disservice to female athletes across our state.
