White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended President Biden’s executive order, which calls on schools across the country to allow students to participate in sports with their chosen gender identity.
When asked by a reporter on Tuesday, what was Biden’s message to school officials who dealt with disputes over competition between transgender and cisgender girls, particularly for scholarships, Psaki said: “the president’s belief is that trans rights are human rights.
“And that is why he signed the executive order,” she said. “And in terms of the determinations of universities and colleges, I would certainly submit to them.”
NIKKI HALEY LINKS BIDEN’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TRANSGENERAL ATHLETES AND ‘ATTACK ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS’
The executive order, signed the day after Biden took office on January 21, resurfaced after tough questions from the candidate for Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, by Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., During his confirmation hearing last week .
Paul said that allowing transgender girls – individuals who were born men but identify themselves as women – to participate in women’s sports “would completely destroy women’s athletics” by depriving women athletes of the opportunity to compete fairly and obtain scholarships.
“I think it is the legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities and that includes students who are transsexual,” Cardona told Paul during his hearing.
Several lawsuits across the country have emerged after high school girls challenged policies that allow transgender women to compete in their field – noting the physical advantages that transgender women have over cisgender women, girls who are born and identify themselves as women.
RAND PAUL, IN STRONG EXCHANGE, PRESS NOMINATE FOR THE BIDEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSGENIC STUDENT ATHLETES
In his executive order, Biden said, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will have access to the bathroom, locker room or school sports.”
But the government has given no direction on how public schools should deal with difficult issues around what is considered fair for high school athletes – something that left former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressing frustration.
“Across the sporting world, the game is being rigged against women and in favor of biological men,” the South Carolina Republican wrote to the National Review on Monday. “President Biden is the last man to do the manipulation, which is strange from someone considered to be a defender of women.”
“Generations of women have fought hard to ensure that their daughters and granddaughters have equal conditions, because girls deserve the same chance as boys to play sports,” she said. Adding that “trans children deserve support and respect”, but “the fact remains, however, that biological boys and girls are built differently” and “the best male athletes have a natural advantage over the best female athletes”.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Cardona acknowledged the “challenge” surrounding this topic during his confirmation hearing and told senators that he “hoped” to work with them to address this sensitive issue.
Ronn Blitzer and Greg Norman contributed to this report.