New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella is among 28 Republican attorneys general calling on the NCAA to revoke awards and records won by biological males competing in women’s sports.
In a letter to the college athletics governing body, the attorneys general demand the organization “restore to female athletes all championships, titles, wins, awards, records, and other recognitions that were wrongfully awarded to male athletes competing in NCAA women’s category events.”
“The policies that were created, promoted, and encouraged by the Biden administration and the NCAA not only enabled biological men to compete against women in sporting events across the country, but denied deserving women the recognitions they had earned,” the letter adds.
The attorneys general urged the NCAA to create a plan “to restore all appropriate recognitions to the women athletes who were wrongfully denied all that they earned.”
Formella’s participation comes as some New Hampshire Republicans are grumbling over Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s recent veto of a bill that would have barred biological males from accessing women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, and correctional facilities.
In a statement, Formella’s office says Ayotte is on board with this effort.
“This letter reflects the same core principle at the heart of New Hampshire’s ongoing defense of the Granite State’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act: that fairness in women’s sports must be preserved. We are standing up for female athletes to ensure their opportunities and achievements are protected under the law, consistent with the original intent of Title IX.
“We appreciate Gov. Ayotte’s strong support of Attorney General Formella signing onto this letter, underscoring their shared commitment to these important protections. At the same time, we remain committed to treating all students with dignity and respect.”
Meanwhile, the issue is also the subject of ongoing litigation in the state. Two male students identifying as female are challenging New Hampshire’s 2024 law that bars biological males from participating in girls’ sports in Grades 5 through 12. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law in those two cases.
Kyle Fellers is part of a different lawsuit. He was one of the Bow (N.H.) High School parents who were punished for wearing pink wristbands bearing “XX” at a girls’ soccer game in which a male student was competing.
Now he’s a plaintiff in a federal free speech lawsuit.
“I fully support the common-sense ideas expressed in this letter, which will help ensure that female athletes receive the recognition they’ve earned,” Fellers said. “While I applaud those who signed it, the plan outlined in the letter is just the first step on a long path toward preserving fairness.”
The issue of transgender participation in women’s sports is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court next year.
An attorney representing the two New Hampshire plaintiffs did not respond to a request for comment regarding the letter.
The University of Pennsylvania has already taken steps aligned with the demands, agreeing to revoke awards and medals from male athletes who competed in women’s sports and banning future male participation in female-only competitions. The university has also agreed to amend records previously set by swimmer Lia Thomas, the nearly 6-foot-4 male who towered over his female competitors, and issue an apology to female athletes who were “disadvantaged” by its policies.
And late Tuesday, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced it has barred biological males from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Trump.
Formella, often mentioned as a possible candidate for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District or a future gubernatorial run, may find political upside in speaking out. Polls consistently show strong public support—by margins of 3-to-1 or more — for policies limiting female sports to biological women.
All four members of New Hampshire’s federal delegation voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act earlier this year. U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen went further, participating in a filibuster that blocked the bill from advancing in the Senate.
The issue is also creating political tension for Shaheen’s daughter, Democratic congressional candidate Stefany Shaheen. Prior to formally launching her campaign in NH-01, she pledged on the Jack Heath Radio Show to answer his question about whether she supports allowing boys to play in girls’ sports. But when she appeared on the show after announcing her candidacy, she declined to give a direct answer, instead saying it should be decided on a “case-by-case” basis.
Other Democrats, however, have gotten the hint.
Rahm Emanuel—former Chicago mayor, congressman, and senior adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama—made headlines this week when he appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show. Asked directly if boys should be allowed to compete in girls’ sports, Emanuel promptly answered, “No.” The same when Kelly followed up with, “Can a man become a woman?”
“It’s so easy,” Kelly remarked on his swift and direct answers. “Why don’t more people in your party say that?”
“I’m now going to go into a witness protection plan,” Emanuel joked.
