LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Republicans aren’t playing games with the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). They delivered this message at a Thursday press conference: “Follow President Trump’s lead and prohibit men from competing against our daughters in sports.”
Republicans addressed the governing body for Michigan high school athletics which has been in a holding pattern while waiting for “clarification” from attorneys regarding Trump’s Title IX executive order. The MHSAA claims there are only two men who have received a waiver to participate in girl’s sports, but those are only the cases on the radar.
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Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Marion Township) pointed out that even a small number of men in girls’ sports puts them at risk. “The 112,000 high school female athletes in Michigan [have] parents who no longer have a certainty that their children will not suffer the same fate of Miss Payton McNabb.” McNabb is a former volleyball player who suffered brain damage at the hand of a male athlete.
In addition, Rep. Woolford pointed out that “the mothers and fathers of those 112,00 female athletes have no guarantee that their children will not be forced to share a locker room with males.”
State Senator Lana Theis (R-Brighton) who also attended the press conference, is taking things one step further by reaching out to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (@MHSAA) is doubling down and refusing to comply with @DonaldTrump’s executive order protecting girls’ sports. This blatant disregard for fairness and the law is unacceptable. I’m calling on @PamBondi to join me and my Republican…
— Senator Lana Theis (@SenLTheis) March 4, 2025
The MHSAA has repeatedly cited the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act as the basis for its holding teams in limbo. However, the state law does not supercede federal law.
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The entire press conference can be viewed below.
🚨 LIVE: Join me and my colleagues Senators Bellino, @SenAricNesbitt, and @JimRunestad, along with Rep. Woolford, as we hold a press conference urging the @MHSAA to follow President Trump’s executive order & prohibit boys from competing in girls’ sports. https://t.co/OTWqubWqIf
— Senator Lana Theis (@SenLTheis) March 6, 2025