I am writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 7368, the Riley Gaines Act, introduced on February 4 by Representative John McGuire. This legislation would create a bounty system allowing cisgender athletes to sue educational institutions and athletic associations that permit transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. This approach is discriminatory and dehumanizes transgender people by treating their existence in athletics as grounds for litigation.
The bill authorizes civil actions against institutions of higher education and athletic associations for permitting biologically male students to compete in women's athletics, with plaintiffs able to sue for physical injuries, lost scholarships, lost professional opportunities, and even the monetary value of those opportunities calculated based on professional athletes' net worth. This creates a chilling effect where institutions will exclude transgender athletes not based on evidence or fairness, but purely out of fear of costly litigation.
The premise of this legislation ignores established science. A recent systematic review from the University of São Paulo demonstrates that transgender women's athletic performance aligns with cisgender women's performance after one to three years of hormone replacement therapy. This finding is consistent with research conducted over the past decade. The bill disregards this evidence in favor of fearmongering.
This bounty law approach mirrors similar discriminatory legislation previously introduced in Texas and Arkansas. It represents a calculated strategy to isolate and exclude a vulnerable population. Transgender people represent a small percentage of the population, making them easy targets for exclusion when institutions face the threat of financial penalties.
I ask that you publicly oppose H.R. 7368 and work to ensure it does not advance through committee. Transgender people deserve dignity, respect, and equal access to educational and athletic opportunities. This legislation offers none of those things.
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