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Several female athletes and women’s sports activists took aim at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a Super Bowl-style ad on Saturday.
In the latest TV spot by sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics, a coalition of “Save Women’s Sports” activists, led by Riley Gaines, mocked the ACLU for their recent video promoting the rights of trans athletes in women’s sports.
For their “More Than A Game” campaign, the ACLU released a video featuring former women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe in support of trans athletes. On its website, the group says it stands with trans youth and their families and their rights to “be themselves.”
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‘Sport is not about inclusion’. Jennifer Sey blasts ACLU ad with Megan Rapinoe (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images/XX-XY Athletics)
Now, Gaines and XX-XY Athletics co-founder Jennifer Sey are hitting back with their “Women’s Sports aren’t just a game” ad.
The campaign featured prominent activists including former San Jose State University volleyball player Brooke Slusser, former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler, former ESPN host Sage Steele and OutKick founder Clay Travis.
In recent years, the ACLU has come under enormous criticism from women’s activists for its role in advocating for the inclusion of biologically male trans athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. ACLU attorneys defended trans athletes in cases before the US Supreme Court on January 13.
One of the clients the ACLU represented at the hearing was a trans teenager from West Virginia. The teenager has been accused of sexual harassment in the girls’ locker room by the family of a female teammate. The ACLU has denied the allegations.
Sey called the ACLU to defend the teenager amid the allegations.
INSIDE SCOTUS HEARING TO BE A TURNING POINT IN THE CULTURE WAR OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS
“The ACLU is trying to erase that fact [the teen] is a boy. A boy who has been accused of sexual harassment by his teammates in the locker room. They try to paint him as both the victim and a nice girl who just wants to hang out with friends and have fun on the team. It’s insulting to the girls who train hard to even make the team, says Sey to Pakinomist Digital.
“It devalues their hard work. Girls are not disabled boys. Women and girls are not a category that can be registered. We’re resetting the cultural conversation. And we’re not giving an inch. Not on language. Or justice. Or girls’ and women’s rights.”
“The ACLU is trying to redefine the meaning of competitive sports as well as what a woman is. We will not let that happen. A woman is a grown woman and sports are not about freedom and self-expression. Sports are about digging deep to find the best in yourself. Sports are about mastery and merit and yes, competing to win. Women deserve an equal playing field to win.”
Pakinomist Digital has reached out to the ACLU for a response.
The ACLU previously issued a statement to Pakinomist Digital addressing the allegations against its client.
“Our client and her mother deny these allegations, and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by AC and found them to be unsubstantiated. We remain committed to defending all students’ rights under Title IX, including the right to a safe and inclusive learning environment free from harassment and discrimination,” the statement read.
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During the Jan. 13 SCOTUS hearing, ACLU attorney Joshua Block argued to the justices that “sex” should not be defined.
Block then fled questioning from Pakinomist Digital outside court about his argument and the allegations against his client.
Despite expectations that the court’s conservative majority will ultimately rule against the ACLU’s trans athlete clients, the firm remains very vocal in its support of men in women’s sports.
Sey, Gaines and the other activists look set to push back violently.
