Grassley Opens Senate Judiciary Hearing on Ensuring Safety and Fairness for Female Athletes

Opening Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
"Standing Up for Women in Sports: Ensuring Opportunity, Fairness and Safety for Female Athletes"
Wednesday, September 23, 2026

We're here today to discuss how we can empower women and protect girls in sports, and about the impact of men competing in women's sports.

The Democrats held a hearing on transgender issues in 2023 - including whether biological men should play in women's sports - while they chaired this committee. During the hearing, a Democrat witness could not answer this simple question: "Is there a difference between women and men?"

Further, their witness, when asked if in sports a biological male has an advantage over a biological female, answered, "I don't think so."

Today, the Democrats are choosing to let their two witness seats go empty. That says a lot.

Regarding whether it is fair for men to compete against women in sports, they were wrong on that issue in 2023 and they know they're wrong now.

Women's sports is an important issue. For decades, I've personally supported women's sports. I've attended hundreds of women's athletic events at my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa. I attended the Iowa State Girls Volleyball Tournament for decades. I've cheered on girls and women in my family who compete in sports.

We in Iowa are very proud of our own Caitlin Clark. I recently spoke on the Senate floor questioning the WNBA's treatment of her and continue to monitor that situation.

Girls and women are playing sports in record numbers. Today, more than 3.6 million girls play high school sports. More than a quarter million women competed in college athletics in the 2024-2025 season.

Before Title IX, only 1 in 27 girls competed in sports. Now, it is two in five. And this number doesn't even include participation in club sports, recreational leagues and other community sports teams.

This raises important questions that society must contend with: Why is it important to preserve women's sports for biological women? What is at stake?

Studies and testimonials prove that girls' participation in sports has many benefits that should not be taken from them. High school girls involved in sports get higher grades. They graduate at a higher rate than girls who don't play sports.

Sports are part of the solution to many of the mental health challenges that our kids face. We know from data that girls who play sports have more confidence and less depression. They have a more positive body image, and their overall psychological wellbeing is better.

The benefits to women of playing sports are also long term.

A 2023 survey found that 69% of women who earn more than $100,000 per year and are in leadership roles previously played competitive sports.

Additionally, 85% of women who played sports say the skills they developed were vital to success in their professional careers.

Another study from 2018 found that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports, more than half of whom competed at the collegiate level. Eighty percent of Fortune 500 female executives surveyed said they played sports in their earlier years.

Not to mention, playing sports has led to a record number of women holding top jobs within the sports industry - such as athletic directors and coaches. Being a former player, as well as having a familiarity and interest in sports, is often a prerequisite to getting one of these high-profile, high-paying jobs.

This is the data.

I don't understand why anyone would support a seismic change that reduces the number of biological females who have the opportunity to compete in sports. Now, many sports, leagues and clubs have required women to cede their places on the podium and trade their gold medals for participation trophies.

Biological women should not be asked to accommodate men who, for reasons of identity or otherwise, choose to compete in the women's category instead of the men's or a co-ed category.

Women were last to get the vote, participate in professions, serve on juries, get credit cards in their own names and so much more. Women should not again be asked to cede their opportunities just to make men comfortable.

Now, biological men want to play in women's leagues?

The timing is suspect. This is all happening just as watching women's sports is becoming a national pastime, rivaling that of men's. This is also happening right as women athletes are making gains. Just as professional women athletes are beginning to be paid a living wage. Now is when men want to compete on women's sports teams? This isn't a coincidence. By allowing biological men in, it rips away opportunities, steals accolades, denies scholarships and takes professional careers away from women and girls.

It is just not fair.

Let's be clear - allowing biological men to play in women's sports breaks the promise of Title IX.

It takes hard-won opportunities away from women. It goes backwards, ripping the promise of the American Dream from women to once again give it to men.

This hearing isn't about gender identity. It is about whether it is fair to women for biological men to compete against them in women's sports.

To take the podium from them.

To take the job from them.

To take the career from them.

To take the endorsements and opportunities to be sports professionals.

It may be tempting to talk about the other issues surrounding transgender women and men today. But - let me be clear - that isn't the purpose of this hearing.

It would be a disservice to female athletes to dilute or merely gloss-over this topic to talk about men.

When the other party chaired this committee, one of the first hearings they held in 2023 tried to justify coddling men by letting them unfairly compete against biological women. I'm glad that we can revisit the issue of men playing in women's sports from the correct perspective. The public agrees with us, not with the Democrats. Seventy-three percent of Americans are uncomfortable with transgender athletes competing on sports teams that do not match their sex at birth. Sixty-six percent of adults favor a law or policy that would require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth.

I'm pleased some of the folks who testified and attended that hearing are joining us again today.

There are also other brave women athletes in the audience who are with us.

Please stand and be recognized.

Thank you, again, for joining us today, and for standing up for women everywhere.

I turn to my colleague, Sen. Durbin, for his opening remarks.

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