In a surprising turn of events that had absolutely nothing to do with being bored during a coffee break, Governor Kristi Noem recently took it upon herself to lead a Republican governors’ power team—not to be mistaken for the 90s sensation Power Rangers. Their quest? To urge the NCAA to rewrite its Transgender Student Athlete Policy.
Now, it seems Noem and seven of her comrades exchanged their capes and leotards for pens and papers as they penned this proposal in a letter to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. The letter, which we’re sure is dazzlingly decorated with the official South Dakota state seal—crop circles, is available for perusing somewhere on the world wide web.
The current NCAA policy on transgender athlete participation is about as clear as a foggy day in London-town. Essentially, the decision is made depending on the guidelines of each individual sport’s national governing body. Noem and team though, believe, in all their superhero wisdom, that this isn’t creating the ‘fair’ environment in women’s sports that they’re striving for.
In their letter, they mused, “The NCAA has the chance to guarantee an environment where female college athletes can thrive without the concern of inequities… But this policy allows the NCAA to avoid responsibility for ensuring the fairness of collegiate sports – therefore it must be changed.” The message is as subtle as a brick through a window.
Now Noem isn’t just spouting off about this issue to add some spice to the daily grind. Oh, no. She’s been clocking in some serious work hours in the crusade for fairness in women’s sports. Last year, she signed what is touted as the toughest bill in the nation aiming to “protect” girls’ sports.
Following that, she rounded up a group of Republican governors, who’re potentially also auditioning for a Power Rangers reboot, for a letter urging the Biden Administration not to reinterpret Title IX. The governors presumably signed with quills, referencing ancient times when people thought the world was flat.
Noem has been so dedicated to the cause that she even hosted a roundtable discussion—with actual round tables, one assumes—on protecting girls’ sports, earlier this year. The attendees are still arguing whether it was a circle or an ellipse.
Governor Noem was joined in this calligraphic endeavor by a veritable Justice League of Republican governors: Arkansas’ Sarah Sanders, Mississippi’s Tate Reeves, Missouri’s Mike Parson, Montana’s Greg Gianforte, Nevada’s Joe Lombardo, Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt, Texas’ Greg Abbott, and Wyoming’s Mark Gordon. No word yet on whether they have matching outfits or a secret handshake. We’ll keep you posted.