Arizona state senator calls for abolishment of Title IX?
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“But to have a man on my team, I would have welcomed it,” On the other team, not so much.
Democrat state lawmaker debates former NCAA volleyball player who forfeited to SJSU team with trans athlete
Arizona state senator Catherine Miranda, a Democrat, has come under scrutiny on social media after an exchange with former NCAA volleyball player and “save women’s sports” activist Kaylie Ray.
Ray showed up to the Arizona Senate Education committee hearing on Wednesday to lobby for a bill that would protect women’s sports from biological males. She spoke from the perspective of a former Utah State captain who led a team forfeit against San Jose State in 2024, in protest of a trans athlete on San Jose State University (SJSU).
After Ray shared her testimony, Miranda opened her response by commenting on Ray’s appearance.
“I have my sports hat on now. It’s all about a sports mentality, growing up in sports, being a tomboy. I mean, you look pretty healthy. I’ve played against girls that look like you. You look very much in shape and strong,” Miranda said.
The state senator then argued against Ray’s position and the bill by claiming she had competed against men herself in sports, and would compete against men in sports and ended her lecture with the question, “How competitive do you think you really are?”
At no point in Miranda’s response did she ever use the word “transgender” or even “male” or “female.” She simply referred to male opponents as “men.”
“It’s a sports mentality when you’re growing up and how much competition that you’ll take on. So it’s not just a silver bullet for one community of sports players, it’s the individual person on how competitive you wanna be. So you grew up one way. I grew up a different way. I would have taken on a man in a heartbeat. I’ve played in, I was the only girl sometimes in sports. But to have a man on my team, I would have welcomed it,” Miranda said.
“But this is just my opinion … and that’s why this bill is bad, because you’re just putting a whole community of women’s sports in one category. When women like me, we have a different opinion. So, how competitive do you think you really are?”
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Ray argued back to Miranda at the hearing that the proposed bill would include three gender categories, male, female and co-ed.
“If you want to compete against your man, absolutely, let’s do that in the co-ed section,” Ray said.
“The clarity and distinction is really important. Because when men are allowed access into women’s sports and spaces, it isn’t women’s sports and spaces anymore.”
It takes a liberal mind not to see that obvious truth.
AI Overview
Title IX, passed in 1972, is a federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, including sports. It mandates equal opportunities, athletic scholarships, and resources for female athletes in federally funded schools. Since its enactment, it has dramatically increased female sports participation and established that athletic benefits—ranging from equipment to scheduling—must be equitable.
Women's Sports Foundation +5
Key Aspects of Title IX in Women's Sports:
Equal Opportunity: Institutions must provide, on average, the same number of opportunities for females to play as males, relative to their enrollment.
Scholarships: Financial aid for athletics must be proportional to the percentage of male and female participants.
Treatment & Benefits: Schools must provide equal treatment, including equipment, locker rooms, practice facilities, coaching, and travel.
Impact: Before 1972, fewer than 16% of college athletes were women; today that number is over 44%. It has been instrumental in enabling higher education through sports.