Independent Women’s Voice host “Stand With Women New Mexico” Rally
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA)-- Event organizers say they are fighting for policies that preserve women’s safety, equal opportunity, and rights.
Guest speakers included New Mexico Candidate for U.S. Senate Nella Domenici, New Mexico Candidate for U.S. Congress Yvette Herrell, and Paula Scanlan Independent Women’s Voice State Affairs Liaison and former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania.
The topic of transgender people in sports was the focus of the rally. Yvette Herrell says poor leadership and poor decisions being made are causing society to move backwards.
"Look at what's happening right now, just in the Western Conference, in our collegiate Western Conference, volleyball teams already have forfeited playing because they don't want to play against the biological male. That should not be happening. Look at the bike race last year. Women who work months, years to prepare for that race. And a man, a biological man, won that race. We're stripping women of the opportunities that they have worked so very hard for. And we're sending our girls up for failure," Herrell said.
Paula Scanlan, former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania says during her sophomore year of college she was told that a new teammate was transgender. Scanlan said she expressed that she was uncomfortable and felt her new teammate was taking away opportunities from other athletes.
"When women like myself and my teammates and other athletes who are forced to compete and undress alongside this male athlete express their concerns, it went on deaf ears. There was nobody who wanted to listen. There was nobody who wanted to have this conversation. And now we have to think about the next generation," Scanlan said.
Amber Perez, Executive director for Borderland rainbow center says transgender people in sports isn't about taking away anything, it's allowing opportunities to be open.
"There are guidelines for people to be able to play sports. It's not like, oh, just bam, of course you go ahead and do whatever it is that you want There's there's science behind this, and they're still questioning the science behind that and saying, oh, well, no, they're still biologically male. I think that there needs to be a lot more education."
Perez adds being able to interact with somebody who is transgender will begins to shift the narrative.
"You get to listen to them and they listen to you and you begin to develop a relationship. And you can see that this is just another human being who wants the exact same things that you want to feel safe, to be loved," Perez said.
