Mississippi governor signs bill protecting women's sports
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb regarding Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ decision Thursday to sign into law the Fairness Act (SB 2536), a bill sponsored by Sen. Angela Hill that protects opportunities for women and girls in athletics by ensuring they are not forced to compete against men playing on women’s sports teams:
“Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field. Allowing males to compete in girls’ sports destroys fair competition and athletic opportunities for women. We commend Gov. Reeves, Sen. Hill, Speaker Gunn, and Reps. Currie and Boyd for their leadership in supporting the Fairness Act so that those opportunities will be protected across the state. When the law ignores biological differences, women and girls bear the brunt of the harm. We have seen increasing examples of males dominating girls’ athletic competitions when competing as females, capturing championships, and shattering long-standing female track records. Comparably fit and trained males will always have physical advantages over females—that’s the reason we have girls’ sports. When we ignore science and biological reality, female athletes lose medals, podium spots, public recognition, and opportunities to compete. We thank Mississippi’s elected leaders for promoting a solution where girls across the state will not face these losses and can continue to pursue their dreams.”
ADF attorneys represent collegiate female athletes in Idaho who are defending the state’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act against an ACLU lawsuit attacking the new law. ADF attorneys also represent high school female athletes in Connecticut who are challenging a policy that has allowed boys to consistently deprive them of honors and opportunities to compete at elite levels.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Christiana Kiefer
Christiana Kiefer serves as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, where she is a key member of the Center for Conscience Initiatives. Since joining ADF in 2012, Kiefer has worked to protect women's and girls' sports and has defended the bodily privacy rights of students. She has also worked to protect the constitutionally protected freedom of churches, Christian schools, and Christian ministries to exercise their faith without government interference. Kiefer earned her J.D. in 2010 from Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy, where she graduated first in her class and served as a teaching assistant in criminal law. Also in 2010, Kiefer completed the ADF leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow. She is admitted to the state bar of California, the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous federal district and appellate courts.