Human Rights Campaign: The Real Threat to Women's Sports Isn't Trans Athletes - It's Underfunding, Lack of Resources

HRC analysis finds that, in states that have pending or passed anti-transgender sports bans, colleges and universities spend only 70 cents on women's sports per one dollar spent on men's sports

WASHINGTON, DC - April 19, 2022 - As states across the country continue to debate and pass anti-transgender sports bans - bills that would prevent transgender girls from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity - a new Human Rights Campaign analysis points out that the real threat to women's sports is not allowing transgender young people to play; it is underfunding and lack of resources for collegiate women's sports. HRC's analysis of data from a USA Today series on Title IX found that colleges and universities in the 15 states that have passed or have pending anti-transgender sports bill spent $64 million more on men's than women's sports - spending only approximately $0.70 on women's sports for every $1 spent on men's sports

"States passing these bans are not only acting cruelly, but they are acting hypocritically. If they want to save women's sports, they should look in their own backyards, where public universities and colleges are consistently underfunding and underinvesting in women's sports, to the tune of millions of dollars," said Shoshana K. Goldberg, Ph.D. MPH, Director of HRC's Public Education & Research Program. "While extreme far-right leaders & legislators push to bar young transgender people from participating in sports, they ignore the real, meaningful ways that women's sports can be made better. Rather than make meaningful change by giving dedicated athletes and hardworking coaches the resources they need, they choose to point a finger at young people who simply want to play sports and blame them for imagined problems. "

Since the first law of its type was enacted in 2020, 16 states have either passed an anti-transgender sports ban or have bills from this session awaiting final disposition. In the states where anti-trans sports bans have passed and data is available, funding disparities are as follows:

Key Points from USA Today's report include:

Across the six sports assessed, schools spent an estimated 71 cents on women's sports for every $1 spent on men's sports.

• All in, schools spent approximately $125 million more on men's sports than women's sports
• Were expenditures on football to be included, the disparity would be far greater, with schools spending over $1 billion on men's sports ($1.16 billion to be exact), over twice that of what they spent on women's sports ($576 million)

Schools spent substantially more on men's sports than women's sports in all three categories assessed

• Travel: 40% more for men than women ($77 million additional)
• Equipment: 40% more for men than women ($26 million additional)
• Recruiting: 51% more for men than women ($22 million additional)

In 4 out of the 6 sports assessed, schools spent millions more on men's sports than women's sports, with the biggest disparity seen in basketball.

• Overall, schools spent $0.63 cents on women's basketball for every $1 spent on men's basketball.
• In the area of recruitment alone, schools spent 72% more on recruiting male basketball players than female basketball players
• This was seen even in schools where women's basketball is a powerhouse -
• For example, the University of Connecticut spent approximately $1.2 million more on their men's basketball team than their women's basketball team, despite U Conn being home to the most successful women's basketball team in the country

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.