TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier is advocating for the rights of female athletes in Florida by challenging a policy from U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS). The policy in question permits males to compete in female sports competitions.
“We are calling on U.S. Masters Swimming, a Florida-based nonprofit, to immediately cease allowing any men to compete against women,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “We will always fight to protect women and girls from being subjected to men trying to compete in female sports—it’s our moral obligation to do so.”
Kim Jones, Co-Founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, expressed support for this stance: “There is a single question at stake here—it is ‘do women and girls deserve access to fair sports?’ and the answer is a yes or no. The State of Florida and Attorney General Uthmeier believes that answer is yes and, unequivocally, so do we. It is illegal for men to be competing with women, and it has been for over 50 years.”
Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas also praised the Attorney General’s efforts: “Thank you Attorney General James Uthmeier for your commitment to protecting women’s sports. There will never be room for men in women’s sports or spaces, and in Florida, thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, we have enshrined that in law. While other states will continue to wage a war on women, Florida will continue to fight for our female athletes.”
In correspondence with USMS, Attorney General Uthmeier pointed out that their updated policy violates state law by not preventing males from competing against females and failing to define sex biologically as required by Florida law.
The interim policy discriminates against women based on sex under Florida law and violates their right to fair competition.
To view a copy of the full letter, click here.
