On Tuesday, Feb. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order “to protect opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports.”

“We are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice: If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” Trump said. 

“In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” the executive order says. 

The government rightly decided 52 years ago under Title IX, that the law must prohibit discrimination based on sex at any institution that receives federal funding. 

I hope Delaware falls in line and honors this executive order from the president.

I tried twice to have a Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act passed in Delaware. 

Joining as co-sponsors for this legislation last year were Senators Dave Lawson, Gerald Hocker and Eric Buckson, and Representatives Tim Dukes, Rich Collins and Jesse Vanderwende. 

The Fairness Act for Delaware addressed concerns about the lost opportunities for girls to receive recognition, rewards and even scholarships. 

“These are girls who strive hard to be the best, some working many hours a day, seven days a week to perfect their skills” Rep. Dukes, the prime sponsor in the House, said. 

I called on attorney Tom Neuberger of Wilmington and Dr. Michelle Parsons of Lewes as expert witnesses. 

Also noted as a reason for the keeping males out of female sports concerned the potential for injuries to female players.    

For example, a North Carolina high-school volleyball athlete suffered a severe injury after a transgender player spiked a ball at her head at and “abnormally fast” speed. 

In women’s volleyball competitions at the professional, collegiate, and international level the net height is 7 feet, 4.125 inches.

In men’s volleyball competitions the net is 7 feet, 11.625 inches.

There is an obvious reason for the different net heights.

During the hearing on the Fairness Act in the Senate, I mentioned that more people would have spoken up for the bill, but many are afraid of being labeled as transphobic. 

The committee chair, Senator Laura Sturgeon, questioned that statement, saying she had received a number of emails in support of the legislation, but still would not allow the bill out of committee. 

“The NCAA voted Thursday to ban male-born students from women’s sports, retreating on years of transgender inclusion just one day after President Trump signed an executive order on female scholastic sports,” said writer Valerie Richardson in a February 6 article in Washington Times. 

“Mr. Baker said that the board would seek to update its transgender policy to ‘align’ with the order, but the speed of the reversal stunned observers, including right-of-center women’s groups that have battled the NCAA for years over sex versus gender identity in sports,” Valerie Richardson wrote.

Just last year the Biden administration was taking the issue of males competing in women’s sports in a different direction.

However, a federal court invalidated the Biden administration’s changes that had opened the door for transgender sports participation.

In light of President Trump’s Executive Order I’m looking into whether or not a Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act is now necessary. 

Perhaps it may provide additional assurance to those involved in sports programs for girls that they do not have to be concerned about repercussions from those who want to force the issue.

I’m hoping the risk of losing federal funding may be enough of an incentive to protect girls’ sports.