A group of professional, Olympic, and Paralympic athletes are calling on the NCAA bid selections committee to move upcoming athletic events scheduled to be held in Idaho - including March Madness games - following the state's passage of House Bill 500.
In an open letter published by Athlete Ally on Wednesday, the group asserted that HB 500 "explicitly and illegally discriminates against transgender athletes by barring them from competing consistent with their gender identity, and subjects all female athletes to the possibility of invasive genital and genetic screenings."
Among the signees are tennis icon Billie Jean King, Team USA and Seattle Storm star Sue Bird, U.S. soccer and Seattle Reign standout Megan Rapinoe, former USA softball outfielder and current ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza, and Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to appear in an NBA game.
Known as the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, HB 500 bars "students of the male sex" from any competition designated for "females, women, or girls" in Idaho. Any dispute would require a physician to establish the student's sex based on their reproductive anatomy, normal testosterone levels, and "an analysis of the student's genetic makeup."
The Athlete Ally group says the bill is at odds with the NCAA's commitment to inclusivity. "Failure to move championship events out of Idaho would contradict the NCAA’s core values and would be an implicit endorsement of Idaho’s discriminatory law," the letter adds.
Boise State is scheduled to host first- and second-round games in the 2021 March Madness tournament.
Among the letter's signees is New York Knicks guard Reggie Bullock, whose sister, a transgender woman, was murdered in 2014.
“This is personal to me because my slain transgender sister Mia would have wanted me to use my platform to advocate for trans athletes," Bullock's statement read. "Idaho's House Bill 500 is a tremendous step backwards for equality and for humanity.
"We need to be celebrating our trans athletes, not holding them back from playing the sport they love.”
