The controversy surrounding the Biden administration’s Title IX rewrite took a dramatic turn in Chapel Hill this week when a bus for the “Take Back Title IX” tour was vandalized while in the area.
The bus, acting as both a vehicle and a mobile symbol for the national movement to preserve women’s sports, was defaced by activists opposing the tour’s message. The incident has sparked outrage among supporters of the Our Bodies, Our Sports Coalition, which aims to protect opportunities, fairness, and safety for women in athletics.
“It’s disgusting but not surprising to see such a blatant anti-woman attack on a tour bus — our home on the road — that represents a national movement fighting to preserve equal opportunity, fairness, and safety for women in athletics,” said Brianna Howard, the Independent Women’s Forum coalition manager and leader of the “Take Back Title IX” bus tour. “We are disheartened but will continue to stand strong and share this important message across the country.”
In April, the Biden administration published new guidelines on Title IX that put the emphasis on “gender identity” rather than “sex.”
The bus tour aims to rally support for maintaining the original intentions of Title IX, ensuring that female athletes are not overshadowed or marginalized. The coalition’s efforts come ahead of the 52nd anniversary of Title IX and Women’s Sports Week, further highlighting the ongoing debate over the future of women’s sports.
Riley Gaines, a 12-time All American swimmer and Independent Women’s Forum ambassador, also weighed in on the vandalism incident in Chapel Hill.
“It’s amazing that females wanting female-only sports warrants such a reaction,” said Gaines. “They’ve resorted to name-calling, defaming, and intentional misrepresentation when they can’t dissuade from our position. And now they’ve added violence and vandalism to their tactics. Common sense, logic, reason, lived experience, and science are on our side. Let’s be clear. The trans rights activists don’t want inclusion; they want the exclusion of women.”
Howard emphasized their commitment to the cause, stating, “The Our Bodies, Our Sports Coalition has been working to save women’s sports since 2021, and we aren’t slowing down anytime soon. This cowardice attack will only make us stronger and louder as we continue to roll into Washington D.C. to amplify our message to the administration and Congress!”