OPINION: Why I’m fighting to keep women’s sports female in New Mexico

Fifty-three years ago, the efforts of so many brave women came together to change history by helping to pass Title IX — a landmark law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program receiving federal funding, including sports.

As a former athlete, I am forever thankful I had the opportunity to compete because of Title IX, and I am proud to celebrate the women who came before me and fought for fairness in sports.

Yet just five decades later, more and more girls — including me — are being forced to face a new reality: the inclusion of men in women’s sports. In September 2022, during a high school volleyball match in North Carolina, I was struck in the head by a ball spiked by a transgender-identifying male athlete on the opposing women’s team.

The impact left me unconscious, with a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed and partial paralysis on my right side. Since that day, I’ve endured chronic headaches, vision problems, balance issues and cognitive challenges that have upended my life and ended my dreams of playing college softball.

Fast forward nearly three years, I’ve turned my pain into purpose, advocating for state and federal legislation that defines sex-based terms and preserves single-sex athletic opportunities. I’m committed to continuing that fight for the next generation of girls in states where Title IX is not fully protected by lawmakers.

One of these states is New Mexico.

I was recently in Santa Fe on June 23rd to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Title IX at Independent Women’s “Her Game. Her Legacy.” event. It was inspiring to meet women whose lives were transformed, thanks to the opportunities Title IX made possible, and see so many young girls just beginning their life-changing journeys in sports.

There has been significant progress in restoring Title IX to its former strength, thanks to the executive order signed earlier this year by President Trump. But despite this executive order, there is still important work to be done in states where women and girls remain unprotected by their elected officials.

Twenty-eight states have laws in place to protect women’s sports, and 18 states have defined “woman” in state law. More must follow.

With poll after poll showing near-unanimous support for keeping women’s sports female, among all demographics and party affiliations, it’s hard to understand what this spectacle by Democrats is all about.

Unfortunately, to date, we have yet to see a single Democrat in New Mexico willing to take a stand on this issue.

The entire New Mexico Congressional Delegation has voted against federal laws that would have protected athletes like me from having to risk physical injury — and the humiliation — of facing male athletes with obvious physical advantages. I recently testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee at a hearing titled “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” where Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) moved to adjourn the hearing before I could even share my story, but spoke to me — once cameras were turned off — to say she was sorry I was hurt.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has done nothing to protect women and girls who could be forced to share intimate single-sex spaces with any man who claims to identify as a woman.

This past legislative session, I testified before the New Mexico House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee on HB 185, the Protection of Women’s Sports Act, and was once again dismissed by New Mexico Democrats. The bill was killed that day in committee.

It makes me sad that Democrats — the party that claims to be for women’s rights — are publicly silent when they know they are on the wrong side of history. I, along with the nation, would like to be able to stand with Democrat leaders who are willing to put politics aside and restore the simple nondiscrimination statute Title IX, which prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex and defends the integrity of female sports. For me, this isn’t about politics; it’s about protecting women’s rights to equal opportunity, preserving the integrity of women’s sports, and ensuring the safety of female athletes.

From Santa Fe to Las Cruces and to every corner of the state, no girl or woman in New Mexico should be forced to compete against a man. Letting men compete in women’s sports isn’t just unfair — it’s unsafe, demeaning, and wrong. I know firsthand what’s at stake.

I will never be silent. I will continue to speak out–motivated by the love for the sports that have given me so much and by a deep commitment to fairness for all female athletes. I only wish that elected leaders in New Mexico had the courage to do the same.