In an interview with Fox News Channel, former University of Kentucky NCAA swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler praised the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for banning trans women from competing against women in sporting events it sponsors.
"It’s huge," Wheeler told "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday morning, noting that "all eyes are on the NCAA right now."
"The NAIA took the bold first move here, and that's what real leadership looks like," the former college swimmer declared.
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Wheeler is one of 16 current and former college athletes – including former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines – suing the NCAA, University System of Georgia, and several Georgia colleges for allegedly committing Title IX violations and violating the rights to bodily privacy by allowing trans women to compete against women.
NAIA’s new policy makes it so that only athletes who are biological females and have not begun hormone therapy may compete against women in its events. The body governs collegiate sports in smaller schools across the nation.
Wheeler spoke about the pressure this decision puts on the NCAA and other sports bodies to disallow biological men from entering into women’s competitions.
"They did their research. They made the right call. Unlike the NCAA who has previously admitted that they haven't done enough research on the subject, which frankly, I don't think opening a biology textbook is really that hard," Wheeler said.
The former college swimmer continued by detailing the damage the permissive NCAA policies regarding trans competitors has done to female college athletes, adding, "Over the past two years, we've seen what allowing men into women's sports. Men taking away trophies, honors, scholarships is not inclusive or fair. Allowing them into our locker rooms does not promote safety, and it does not promote fairness."
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Praising NAIA and its president and CEO Jim Carr, Wheeler said, "President Carr and the NAIA made the right call and I think that many would agree that it’s time the NCAA followed suit and did the same with its own policies."
The athlete was asked what her message to the NCAA is following NAIA’s declaration, to which she said that the larger body will have a reckoning.
"As much as the NCAA would like to turn their heads on this issue, because that's what they've done thus far, they're going to be forced to face this, and they will be forced to uphold Title IX, because really, people are fed up with the nonsense," she said.
"It doesn't matter, whether you're Republican or Democrat, the overwhelming majority of people understand that there are differences between men and women, especially when it comes to sports," Wheeler pointed out, and added her hope that NAIA’s move will cause a shift on this issue.
"But I'm really encouraged by the NAIA's new policy, and I'm even that much more hopeful that many others are going to do the same. It only takes one before or more starts to follow the right path," she concluded.
