Congressional Republicans have been using the phrase “common sense vs. crazy” in their midterm campaign messaging. It is catchy, because it is actually a true representation of the policies of the two major political parties today.
In 2024, a common-sense sleeper issue may have been the turning point of the presidential election. Democrats were pushing hard on “gender-affirming healthcare” and transgender “women” being allowed to participate in women’s sports. President Donald Trump pushed back hard against these ideas and one of his main talking points was rejecting the idea that women should ever be forced to compete against biological men.
The issue has not gone away. The political Left, which screamed “trust the science” during its authoritarian COVID-19 response, happily dismisses biological fact: Men and women differ chromosomally and physiologically in ways relevant to nearly every sphere of life, including athletic competition.
Women such as Riley Gaines, Peyton McNabb, Martina Navratilova and now Sophie Cunningham have stated the obvious — it is not safe or fair to allow biological men to compete against women.
From the first time she spoke out against competing against a biological male in NCAA swimming competitions, Gaines has been attacked for her beliefs and even physically assaulted. McNabb suffers permanent injury from being hit by a volleyball spiked by a biological male on an opposing high school team. In college, she spoke out against biological men being in the women’s restroom and her sorority kicked her out. Cunningham has stated that biological men do not belong in women’s sports. The Left has excoriated these women who have simply spoken the truth.
Many states have legislated prohibitions on men competing in women’s sports in the scholastic and collegiate levels. In June, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the combined cases of West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox, stating that states can determine eligibility for women’s sports based on biological sex and that Title IX permits and does not require exceptions for separate sports teams for men and women.
The Senate is considering the Protect College Sports Act of 2026. In its current form, it creates ambiguity on state laws passed to keep women’s sports for biological women only. The National Federation of Republican Women, and other women’s groups such as Concerned Women for America and Moms for Liberty are asking the Senate to amend the bill to allow state law to preempt any sports organizations’ eligibility policy.
The transgender issue is even spreading to threaten other women’s organizations. A recent vote by the Continental Congress of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution defeated a resolution that would have restricted membership solely to biological women. The battle in the DAR is not over, as a genealogical society whose membership requirements are that an applicant must prove direct lineage to a patriot ancestor is now muddying its own requirements by stating men who identify as women can be “daughters.” Sororities are also dealing with membership requirements and have had to make policies to clarify who can be a member.
Our own organization has already confronted this question directly.
At our biennial convention in 2023, there were candidates vying for top leadership roles who weren’t willing to fight to keep the National Federation of Republican Women strictly a women’s-only organization. In response, four women, including myself, ran from the floor to fight this insurgent insanity.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM IS A HEROINE FOR BIOLOGICAL FEMININITY
Thank God we won, and today the NFRW proudly still defines “women” as a distinct biological category. Our organization is for women and promotes women in government and policies that advance women — clear and simple.
But sadly our story isn’t the story of every women’s space. That’s why it’s so important that every American who rejects the trend of denying biological truth must go out and vote in the midterm elections. One party is pushing crazy and one is calling the nation to wake up to common sense.
Martha Jenkins is president of the National Federation of Republican Women.