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Will your elected representatives vote to override the veto?

A group of swimmers from the University of Arizona which includes former Olympians wrote a letter to the NCAA expressing their frustration at the organization’s allowance of biological male “Lia” Thomas to compete in the women’s championship.

The letter was sent to the NCAA Board of Governors last month condemning the organization for failing female collegiate athletes by bowing to the woke mob in order to appear more “inclusive.”

“It’s hard to express the anguish the women’s swim community has experienced this past week watching the 2022 NCAA Swim & Dive Championships,” the letter begins. “On one hand, we feel we are witnessing irrevocable damage to a sport that has transformed our own identities for the better. On the other, we have reconnected with each other in sisterhood after many busy years living our lives beyond the water’s edge.”

By forcing female athletes to compete against a biological male, the NCAA destroyed the integrity of the championship and endorsed the erasure of women from their own sport. Thomas broke records and stole a qualifying spot in the finals that rightfully belonged to a woman.

Furthermore, by allowing transgender athletes to compete, female athletes’ chances of receiving financial aid and scholarships are diminished. “Women’s standings, titles, records, and scholarships are suddenly at risk again. Opening the door to allowing natural born men to acquire precious, life altering financial aid packages often split up between multiple women per team defeats the very essence of the flagship legislation [Title IX] we are ironically celebrating this very year.” (To view the entire letter, click here.)

The left’s so-called platform of “equality and inclusion” could not be more false as they continue to further LGBT rights at the expense of hardworking women. Not only that, but anyone who disagrees or tries to speak out against this explicit inequality is unjustly smeared as a bigot.

Hoosiers have been loud and clear from the beginning of their support of female athletes and yet Governor Holcomb has chosen to side with woke progressives and remain in their favor instead of standing up for what is right. By vetoing HB 1041, he has revealed his true colors.

Although we are disappointed that HB 1041 only protects K-12 women’s sports and doesn’t include college, we believe this is an important first step and look forward to coming back next session to protect women’s college athletics.

We cannot stand idly by and watch as women are cheated out of their sports by biological men.

Urge your lawmakers to override the Governor’s veto and save women’s sports. Don’t give in to the woke mob’s demands. Female athletes need our support, and we must be strong and courageous to fight for their future.

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Four more states act to save women’s sports – Indiana must act, too

In the past week, four more states have joined the fight to protect female sports by passing legislation that prohibits biological males from competing in girls’ sports. Almost half of the country has passed this kind of legislation, with many more currently working to move the legislation into law.

Like Indiana, Utah’s governor vetoed the bill expressing similar concerns as Governor Holcomb. The state’s legislature voted last week to override that veto with overwhelming support and had even greater numbers than when the bill originally passed. The law is scheduled to go into effect on July 1.

Women are actively being erased from their own sports and Governor Holcomb decided to side with woke corporate interest groups by vetoing HB 1041. If he really believed in protecting fairness in women’s sports, he would have listened to his constituents who voiced their overwhelming support for this bill and signed it into law.

Our female athletes deserve better. The Indiana House Speaker has already announced the intention of the legislators to overturn the Governor’s veto in May and it is integral that they do. The future of women’s sports in Indiana depends on it.

We must follow Utah’s example and overturn Governor Holcomb’s egregious failure towards women’s sports.

Female athletes deserve a fair playing field and it’s time we gave it to them. Click here to urge your lawmakers to override his veto on the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.

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Override Governor Holcomb’s veto

Governor Holcomb betrayed Hoosiers last week by vetoing HB 1041, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. This bill would have provided protections for girls’ sports programs through the high school level in our state.

The people of Indiana were loud and clear in their support for this bill as seen with its passing by both the House and Senate. But Governor Holcomb has officially discarded common sense and reality. He has abandoned the majority of Hoosiers who put him into office by choosing to side with the ACLU and woke corporate interests bent on bullying government officials into implementing their radical agenda.

This veto comes just days after a biological man won the NCAA title for women’s swimming, despite having male chromosomes and the skeletal and muscular advantages that come with it.

Despite saying that protecting fairness in women’s sports was “a worthy cause for sure,” Holcomb’s concerns about the bill are surface level at best and another excuse to avoid controversy.

Hoosiers, you deserve better. Our female athletes certainly deserve better. The Indiana House Speaker has already announced their intention to overturn the Governor’s veto in May.

Indiana Family Institute urges lawmakers to override the Governor’s veto, reinstate this bill, and encourage the Governor to stop abandoning the majority of Hoosiers who put him into office. Indiana girls and women deserve a fair playing field.

Governor Holcomb failed all Hoosiers – but this fight isn’t over. Click here to urge your lawmakers to override his veto on the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.

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End of legislative session wrap-up

Indiana’s 2022 legislative session wrapped up deliberations last week. After months of debate on some highly contended issues, the session ended with major victories but also significant losses – and we have a major battle ahead that we need your help on.

One major victory was HB 1217 which penalizes coerced abortions. Though it received outspoken opposition from Planned Parenthood, the people of Indiana believed in the sanctity of life and the necessity to protect it. With pro-life movements gaining traction across the nation and the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, many Republican lawmakers are passionate about fighting for the rights of the unborn and have even requested that Governor Holcomb call them back for a special session if Roe is overturned.

Free speech on college campuses and the right to display historical documents on state property were also passed, further protections of our First Amendment rights.

Unfortunately, legislators missed the mark on some crucial bills. One of the biggest was the failure to address Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ indoctrination in our schools. As one of the most contested issues, parents desired to see more transparency in public-school education. Curricula that causes children to see each other in terms of race or gender identity has no place in school.

Multiple pieces of legislation were introduced and shot down that sought to address trans issues in hospitals and data collection, prevent DCS from removing children with mental health issues from innocent parents, and protect children from harmful medical experimentation that would damage their natural biologic structure. Children need safe spaces; help, not harm.

Furthermore, we were disappointed in the failure to prevent vaccine mandates for employees. HB 1001 did pass and has expanded exceptions to vaccine mandates by employers, which we view as a positive step. However, vaccines should be a personal choice, not a requirement. And while we are overjoyed that HB 1041 passed for K-12 grade, it failed to include college athletics which, as we’ve seen with universities across the country, is integral to protecting women’s sports.

But the most egregious failure from this session is Governor Holcomb’s betrayal of Hoosiers on HB 1041, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. Hoosiers were loud and clear in their support for this bill, but ultimately, the governor chose to side with the ACLU and woke corporate interests bent on bullying government officials into implementing their radical agenda. We intend to press for a veto override to reinstate this bill, and encourage the governor to stop abandoning the majority of Hoosiers who put him into office.

Governor Holcomb failed all Hoosiers – but this fight isn’t over. Click here to urge your lawmakers to override his veto on the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.

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Priority bills for Gov. Holcomb to sign

Last week, the Indiana legislature passed the following bills in both the House and the Senate: HB 1041, HB 1190, HB 1217, and SB 11. Indiana Family Institute has been working to support them and are excited to share this news with you all.

But our work is not yet complete. The bills are heading to Governor Holcomb’s desk and must be signed before they are put into law. We need your help to contact Holcomb and ask him to support these critical pieces of legislation.

HB 1041 protects the existence of female-only sports and the opportunities for female athletes in Indiana. With the new reality of biological males posing as females and competing in women’s sports, girls are forced to compete against those who carry an unfair biological advantage. Many other states in the U.S. have passed similar legislation, and we are honored to support the rights of female athletes and help save women’s sports.

HB 1190 requires colleges in Indiana to protect the free speech rights of their students and requires universities to publish standards and rules regarding freedom of speech for all student organizations. Our constitution guarantees freedom of speech in the First Amendment, but there are some that would rather promote censorship and dictate what can and cannot be said. A free society cannot flourish without liberty, especially when it comes to speech, and we must ensure that students are not censored by their institution of learning.

HB 1217 penalizes those who coerce a woman into having an abortion and results in a felony. Women seeking an abortion must be informed that coerced abortions are illegal, and abortion clinics are required to report instances of coercion to law enforcement. Planned Parenthood has spoken out on its opposition to this bill claiming that it harms more women than helps, but studies show that not to be the case. Every life has value, and no woman should ever feel the need to end her child’s life out of fear or desperation.

SB 11 allows significant historical and educational documents containing religious language to be displayed on state property. Documents such as the Declaration of Independence and Washington’s Farewell Address chronicle our nation’s history and the men and women who came before us, honoring the sacrifices that led to the rights and privileges we enjoy today. Displaying historical documents is important for the education of all Hoosiers and it allows us to encourage, embrace, and be proud of our national heritage.

Please visit the attached links and tell Governor Holcomb to sign these bills into law. With your help, we can save women’s sports, protect free speech, end coerced abortions, and display our nation’s history all across our beautiful state.

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