LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jonathan Lindsey on Tuesday said the recent decision by the Michigan High School Athletic Association to defy President Donald Trump’s executive order on “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” may endanger funding for all Michigan schools.
“By the MHSAA allowing men to continue to play in women’s sports, schools that field these players may lose all access to federal funds,” said Lindsey, R-Coldwater. “The order handed down by President Trump says: ‘It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.’ This language is clear and should be taken seriously.”
Despite the order, the MHSAA has said it will continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports.
“The MHSAA has failed over the years to protect women’s sports, whether it be by allowing men into women’s locker rooms or by dangerously allowing men to take the field with women. Now, they add insult to injury by threatening the safety of young student-athletes and by risking their educational dollars as well,” Lindsey said.
“If Michigan schools want to ensure federal funding remains on the table, they must self-govern and prohibit men from playing in our daughters’ sports. I commend President Trump’s strong leadership on this topic. As a father, my daughter’s safety matters more to me than anything else. I want her to have a fair opportunity to play sports.”
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