The Independent Women's Voice and Riley Gaines plan to hold American candidates running for federal office accountable during the 2024 election season.
The group announced the Riley Gaines Stand with Women Scorecard on Wednesday. The resource will help each prospective voter identify each candidate's stance on legislation that helps preserve female opportunities and maintains private spaces for women.
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Riley Gaines attends a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on December 5, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“Every day I get messages from athletes, some adults, most girls, who are competing against men in their sports. It's not just crazy, it's heartbreaking. It's sad that we're here as a nation, and it's even more disheartening that we're governed by people who claim to represent us, but don't,” Gaines said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“When over 70% of the American population believes men have no place in women's sports, why won't Congress vote to protect female athletes from losing roster spots, titles, and their locker room privacy? Congress has had several opportunities just this year to vote in favor of women's sports, and we still don't have a federal law protecting us. Don't get me wrong, many elected leaders have taken decisive action, either through a vote or through co-sponsorship. And the good news is, many candidates have also pledged their public support to protect women's spaces and opportunities. But it's not enough.
“I'm proud to have worked with Independent Women's Voice to create the Stand with Women Scorecard so every American can check whether their elected officials and candidates for federal office support women. The scorecard is simple: candidates either support women or they don't. I wish I'd had a tool like this when my gender-based rights were violated at a swim meet, and I hope it has an impact now so that girls and women stop losing their rights to the false narrative of inclusion.”
That's why Gaines, host of OutKick's “Gaines for Girls” podcast, and Independent Women's Voice released the results chart.
Former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard appeared on the Gaines for Girls podcast to help Gaines unveil the resource.
“It's sad that we live in a country where we can't safely assume that our elected leaders are going to take care of our children, the most vulnerable among us,” Gabbard said.
“That even those politicians who stand on stage, touting their support for women and equality and justice in life, in the workplace, in sports, and in education, when it comes to this simple issue of biological males competing against biological females in sports and thereby completely undermining the heart and essence of why Title IX was passed in the first place and what has been the reason for progress for so many women and girls for over five decades, is not a safe assumption to make.”
Riley Gaines, left, attends a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Dec. 5, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Gabbard said she was sure there were Democrats running for office who would be “afraid” of their constituents finding out where they stood on the issue.
The tool allows voters to see whether their candidate is running with women and has Gaines' seal of approval, is not running with women, or is still unknown. The scorecard lists all candidates and the current incumbents and provides those three criteria. The scorecard also provides a “battlecard” to give the simple answer between two candidates.
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The scoring system has three factors that will contribute to your passing score.
To earn a passing score, a candidate signed the Women's Support Pledge or publicly declared support for women-only sports and acknowledged the differences between men and women.
Congressional incumbents who supported the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act or voted to repeal the current White House administration's rewrite of Title IX will get a passing grade.
Senate incumbents who receive a passing score must have co-sponsored the Congressional Review Act and/or voted to have a floor vote on the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act.
President Biden pauses as he speaks during the AARP and Des Moines Register presidential candidate forum at Drake University on July 15, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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“Right now, [men] “They're competing in women's sports, stealing roster spots and titles from women,” Gaines added in a video posted on the organization's website. “How did we get here?
“Women's unique opportunities and achievements must be celebrated and protected, but too many leaders are failing us. This is a real war on women.
“Every American deserves to know who supports women and who doesn't.
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