In recent years, the issue that has enraged Republican members of Congress the most is that of so-called transgender rights, including the inclusion and treatment of transgender women in women’s sports as well as in bathrooms, dressing rooms, etc.

Women’s sports have been a hot topic for some time now. Many prominent female athletes have taken a strong stand in support of keeping women’s sport as it was originally intended. Martina Navratilova is one of these athletes. She has spoken out loudly on this issue. The same groups that praised her as a pioneer in sports have now tried to remove her from the sport for WrongSpeak.

Riley Gaines is a former University of Kentucky champion swimmer who has become a prominent voice in this area after sharing the podium with Lia Thomas (a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who was born as a male but identifies herself as a female) and having to share a locker room. Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who was a champion, has also emerged as a leading voice on this topic after having to share the podium (and locker room) with Lia Thomas, formerly of the University of Pennsylvania and identifying as a woman but born s man.

Gaines’ troubling experience and that of other girls and women who were concerned was at the core of the aggressive questions asked by Senator Charlie Baker, the NCAA president during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Sports Gambling Tuesday.

Baker set himself up unwittingly for a grilling when he said in his opening remarks that “an essential priority of the Association, and its members, is coordination and delivery of safe and fair competition.”

Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA, took up the issue and questioned the former Massachusetts Governor’s statement. He compared it to what he called the NCAA’s unfairness for not taking a stand against athletes such as Lia Thomas competing against female athletes.

Kennedy forced Baker to admit that women who compete in sports against men have an unfair advantage, “every single time,” after Baker had initially claimed (and laughed at) the fact.

Kennedy, frustrated by Baker’s constant insinuations about the NCAA’s position being forced upon them because the courts haven’t provided any “clarity”, finally responded to Baker.

Watch:

Baker was then confronted by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO. This time Baker had no chance. Hawley said that Baker’s claim that the NCAA was bound by law is ridiculous, and that no federal court had ordered the NCAA not to allow biological men to participate in women’s sport.

Hawley correctly pointed out that the NCAA does not take into account the legitimate concerns of women athletes like Riley Gaines when they write their guidelines regarding the use of showers, locker rooms, etc.

When conservatives see these exchanges they often think, “That was good, but where is the action?”

I think that Republicans (and there are a lot of them) who are focused on this issue are getting ready for 2025 when there will be firm Republican control over the Senate, and more opportunities to turn that talk into meaningful laws thanks to having also control in the House as well as a Republican President leading the ship.

The time will tell but despite the various court cases, I believe we are about to see real progress in the “transgender” rights issue in the next few months. Stay tuned and buckle up as always.