Dem witness who cannot define what a woman is says women should 'learn to lose gracefully' against trans athletes

Head of the National Women's Law Center, Fatima Goss Graves, encouraged women who are forced to compete against men in women's sports to "lose gracefully." This she sees as the preferable alternative to keeping men out of women's sports at the scholastic level altogether. She made these remarks at a hearing over Title IX in the US House.

"The reality is, that like their peers, trans girls and women, they sometimes lose at sports and sometimes they win. And success in school sports depends on a whole range of factors including how hard you work and coaching and access to really good resources and facilities," Goss Graves said. Goss Graves is married to Matthew Graves, a key prosecutor in J6 cases. She also co-founded Times Up to hold high-profile men accountable for sexual misconduct.

"And trans students participate in sports for the same reason as other kids, because it is fun because it it creates belonging and community because it teaches so much about persistence and leadership and discipline. Unless they learn to lose gracefully, hopefully. And often they learn to win with dignity, hopefully. They learn to do the sort of work that means you have higher grades and stay connected to school. I want every kid to have that chance to have the chance to play."

She did not address the problems that arise when boys shower in girls locker rooms and expose themselves, or when girls miss out on opportunities because men have taken their places in the winners' circle.

Goss Graves also does not know what a woman is. Or at least she refused to define the term when asked. She was asked in July 2022 by Rep Andrew Clyde "Since you're the president of the National Women's Law Center, I was hoping that you could define what a woman is for us in this committee hearing," he said.

"What I'll tell you is, I am a woman. That's how I identify," Goss-Graves said, declining to provide a definition. "I wonder, however, if in part, the reason that you're asking the question is that you're trying to suggest.." but she was interrupted by the representative.

"I simply want an answer," Clyde insisted. Goss Graves brought up the gender identifier of non-binary. "Okay. We’re not going to go there," Clyde said.

"I was hoping maybe you would say something that maybe we learned in high school biology," Clyde said. "It has to do with X and Y chromosomes…which define male and female, but I guess we're not going to get there." 

The hearing was to consider changes proposed by the Department of Education to Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The change would prevent schools from having women's or girl's-only sports. It would bring a new understanding and interpretation of Title IX, removing protections for women and girls and changing that to protection against discrimination for gender identity as a protected class. Under those provisions, the male student's stated gender identity would give him the standing to shower with girls and use other facilities that were previously women only. 

"The proposed rule would establish that policies violate Title IX when they categorically ban transgender students from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity just because of who they are," the proposed rule change reads. This is a way to say that is it sex discrimination to prevent men from accessing that which was previously designated for women.

There has been a huge public outcry against these changes, but these changes are compliant with Biden's executive order, signed on day one of his White House term, demanding that every federal agency figure out how to be more inclusive of trans people.