Press Releases

Today, Congressman Mike Lawler released the following statement after news broke that the New York State Board of Regents is considering a sweeping change to allow boys to compete in girls-only sports and compete for spots on their teams. This would severely impact competition, potentially harm scholarship opportunities, and create an uneven, unfair, and potentially unsafe playing field for tens-of-thousands of female high school athletes.

“I am deeply disturbed by recent reports that indicate the New York State Board of Regents is considering a move that would effectively eliminate girls-only sports as we know it,” said Congressman Lawler (NY-17). “As a girl dad, I can definitively say this is the last thing that New York State should be doing. It’s absurd.”

“Allowing high school boys to compete against girls in sports will destroy fair competition, take away scholarship opportunities for girls, and put girls at a higher risk for injury,” concluded Congressman Lawler (NY-17). “I condemn the NYS Board of Regents for considering this and urge them to expeditiously reverse course – anything less is a total slap in the face to tens-of-thousands of girls competing in high school sports across the state.”

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of the 118th Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.