Paula Scanlan is hopeful the narrative around gender ideology is shifting, especially as Republicans prepare for majorities in both chambers of the 119th Congress and a seat in the White House.
“I am hopeful that with the majorities now that we will be able to get across the finish line,” Scanlan told The Center Square on Thursday, speaking of more legislation on the way to protect women’s spaces. “Obviously, this goes beyond sports … So ideally, I think that the biggest thing would be to federally pass something that says this is what a woman is.”
Scanlan a day earlier was part of a panel where U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., announced that Republicans plan to soon introduce legislation to “protect children from transgender medical procedures.” A report from the advocacy group Do No Harm released four weeks before Election Day included documented evidence of such activity being performed on a 7-year-old.
“We’ll be introducing the STOP Act soon,” said Marshall. “We are going to use the Commerce Act to punish people who perform any type of surgery, or who use any type of medications on minors.”
STOP is an acronym for Safeguarding the Overall Protection of Minors. The panel said that the legislation is an important and necessary step to protect children.
Scanlan and Marshall, a host with the American Principles Project, were on the panel alongside U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill.; Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project; and Sarah Parshall Perry, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
“We all know by now that so-called gender affirming care is anything but caring,” Tuberville said. “It is pure insanity and has caused irreversible damage to countless children. This isn’t about politics, this is about good and evil.”
Scanlan is an ambassador for Independent Women’s Voice and a former collegiate swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania. Swimming for the Quakers, she and teammates endured being not only on the same team but in the same locker room as a swimmer who for the first three years swam on the men’s team.
“I was a swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania and the administration, the university and the NCAA said, ‘Here’s a man who wants to swim on your team, please accept him,’” she explained during the panel. “This entire situation really made all female athletes feel isolated and alone, and like they know where to go.”
Scanlan said that it wasn’t just competing that isolated the female athletes.
“Eighteen times per week, my teammates and I were forced to undress next to a 6-foot-4, fully-intact male,” Scanlan said. “As a female athlete, this was just something I couldn’t even imagine. It was something I never imagined would happen to me when I went off to college.”
The STOP Act is one of a few beginnings. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has proposed legislation seeking to protect women’s spaces on all federal property nationwide. This would include bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons.
Scanlan said this shows that public opinion is on the side of her and the panel.
“This is really the first time we’re seeing more of these people in power stepping up and actually doing the right thing and saying enough is enough” she said. “Now, we are looking at entire teams that are feeling empowered to be able to boycott … or object to competing against males. It’s widespread.”
A notable case of that is San Jose State, where Blaire Fleming’s participation has led to seven opponents forfeiting rather than playing a women’s team that includes a man saying he is a woman.
Tuberville and Marshall emphasized they believe the majority of Americans would agree with the proposed legislation.
“The American people are sick of this nonsense,” Tuberville said. “It’s time we restore some sanity and get common sense back in this country.”
Scanlan said that while she supports the national legislation Republicans are considering, it is important for states to also continue to pass legislation.
“I always remind people who are really excited about having a presidency that we don’t know what might happen in four years,” she said. “So, of course, it’s also important to codify this in states. We are going to continue our efforts. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and I don’t really see it as a win until we’ve finished this on the state level.”
