AP
Young women and girls should never be placed in a position where their safety is at risk. They should never be pushed out of activities and spaces intentionally designed for them.
Yet we are increasingly seeing biological men competing in women’s sports, creating not only unfair challenges but posing a danger to biologically female athletes’ safety.
Time and again, opportunities that rightfully belongonly to female athletes are slipping away.
Across America, women and girls are seeing their countless early morning drives to practice, hours spent on the field, and devotion to becoming the best athletes they can be, spent in vain as men with highly unfair physical advantages dominate their sports.
The integrity of girls’ sports is under attack.
Men on average are bigger, faster and stronger than women — an undeniable biological fact.
The competitive advantages these factors give to male athletes, as well as the great risks such factors mean for young girls, are being ignored in the name of pushing a political agenda.
Female athletes are losing opportunities to compete, earn scholarships and enjoy the activities they once loved.
And reversing this dangerous trend will require strong national leadership.
Former President Donald Trump has proven himself to be the right leader to take on this challenge.
His unwavering stance on defending the rights of women and young girls in sports has set the standard for what must be done on the national level, as well as right here in our local communities.
We stand united on this issue as two individuals with vastly different backgrounds.
As an athlete who has competed at the highest levels, and as an elected official who has heard from countless concerned mothers, fathers and students of all backgrounds, we understand the importance of fairness in sports — and the urgency of addressing it now.
This should not be a red issue or a blue issue. Protecting the physical safety of women and girls, and ensuring they have access to the best opportunities to get ahead in life, should be something that unites all of us.
In Nassau County, we could not, and would not, sit idly by and wait until a young girl loses an athletic scholarship — or is shattered by a life-changing injury on the field — to take action.
That’s why Nassau County passed a first-in-the-nation law that banned biological males from competing in women’s or girls’ sports at county facilities.
Transgender female athletes are still welcome and encouraged to play on co-ed teams, but under our law they cannot compete against all-women or all-girls’ teams.
This law ensures that female athletes in Nassau County can compete on a level playing field, without the inherent disadvantages or threats of bodily harm that come with facing off against males.
While we’ve taken decisive action locally, both through policy and raising awareness, we know that the fight must be taken to the national level to protect women and girls across the country.
This issue isn’t just about sports — it’s about protecting the future of young women across America. The achievements and success of generations of female athletes are at risk if we don’t act now.
With President Trump back in office, we can ensure that the protections we’ve enacted in Nassau County become national law and safeguard women and girls everywhere.
President Trump will continue to stand up for fairness in sports and to defend the rights of female athletes.
For the future of women’s sports and the preservation of fairness and opportunity, we urge you to vote for Donald Trump. Together, we can protect the rights of women and girls to compete fairly and safely in sports across the United States.
Bruce Blakeman serves as county executive in Nassau County, Long Island. Caitlyn Jenner is an Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete.