Sen. John Kennedy Grills NCAA President: Why Don’t You Demonstrate Leadership On Transgender Sports Policy?

On 12/17/2024, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) at a Senate hearing asked NCAA President and former Gov. Charlie Baker (R-MA) why he follows other guidelines and doesn’t create his own on transgender students in sports. SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: A transgender woman is a biological male, is that correct?

CHARLIE BAKER, NCAA PRESIDENT: Yes.

KENNEDY: And a biological male is always going to have a physical and a physiological advantage competing in a collegiate sport against a biological female. Is that true?

BAKER: There’s not a lot of research on it, but it’s certainly debatable.
KENNEDY: You think it’s debatable?
BAKER: I think it’s debatable.
KENNEDY: Wait, you don’t think that a biological male has an advantage every time competing against a biological female? Is that your testimony?

BAKER: No, I think defined the way you defined it, yes, I would agree with you.
KENNEDY: So you agree with me?
BAKER: Yes.

KENNEDY: Okay, so why does the NCAA, why do you, your job is to promote fairness in collegiate sports, why do you support allowing transgender women who are biological males to compete against non-transgender biological females?

BAKER: Over the course of the past two years, five federal court cases involving this question, let me finish, five federal judges have all sided with participation as the standard. This is a very…

KENNEDY: So you’re saying you don’t have a choice?
BAKER: I’m saying that under the current dynamic, there is not clarity on this issue legally.

KENNEDY: Why don’t you exhibit leadership and demonstrate leadership and provide clarity? If you agree with me that the purpose of the NCAA is to promote fair competition, and if you agree with me that in every single instance a biological male is going to have an unfair advantage over a biological female, then why don’t you just say, look, in America you can be whomever you want to be, but in terms of fair competition and a collegiate sport, transgender women who are biological males are not going to be allowed to compete against non-transgender women who are biological female. Boom, done. Why don’t you take that position, Charlie?

BAKER: Because federal courts have already taken the position that they do have the right to compete.

Sen. Kennedy Grills NCAA President: Why Don’t You Demonstrate Leadership On Transgender Sports Policy?

Sen. Kennedy Grills NCAA President: Why Don’t You Demonstrate Leadership On Transgender Sports Policy?