When Democrat Stefany Shaheen — daughter of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen — appeared on the Jack Heath radio show last month to discuss a possible run for Congress, the host asked if she supported allowing biological males to compete on girls’ sports teams. At the time, she told him she wasn’t prepared to answer specific policy questions.
“If I get into the race, I am prepared to give you my position on every issue that’s going to impact the district,” Shaheen said. “I appreciate that this is one of those issues.”
Shaheen announced her candidacy this week and returned to Heath’s radio show Thursday morning. He asked her again about the issue of protecting girls’ sports. Her answer — edited only slightly for clarity and to remove repetition — is below:
HEATH: Do you think boys should be allowed to play in girls’ sports if they want to?
STEFANY SHAHEEN: I know this is a question that continues to come up, and I think it’s one that’s important to answer.
The fact is, as you pointed out, I personally appreciate just how much sports means to people, whether you’re a coach, an athlete, a parent of someone playing, whether you’re a fan, sports are a huge part of our lives and our culture here, and I’ve benefited tremendously from my experience as an athlete. I grew up playing basketball and volleyball. I played volleyball through college. The greatest experience of my parenting was being able to coach my daughter’s high school volleyball team here in Portsmouth.
And I think it’s critically important that we ensure fairness and safety through sports, and we’ve got to keep coming back to that. I know there are very specific situations, both in Maine and in Bow, N. H., where some of these decisions are going to be decided in the courts.
I don’t think it’s helpful to have a unilateral decision that sets one precedent for some very nuanced and specific individual case-by-case situations. Every sport is different. The age of the athletes competing is different. The individual experiences of the athletes are different. But obviously, we have to ensure fairness and safety.
HEATH: My question is just in general — I understand all that sports are different, and I know you care a lot. You’re a very successful athlete and coach, and your kids, I know, are very athletic. If someone says, ‘Do you think it’s okay for boys to play in girls’ sports?’ What’s your answer – Yes or no?
SHAHEEN: The answer is this: You know, sports, we have to ensure fairness and we have to ensure the safety of the athletes. And I think these decisions are going to be made on a case-by-case or team-by-team basis. They should be made by the athletic directors, the coaches, the parents, and the players.
HEATH: But you – do you have an opinion? Would you personally, as a coach?
SHAHEEN: It depends on the situation. It depends on the sport. It depends on the athlete. And I think we need to make these on a case-by-case basis. I want Congress to be focused on the budget. I want Congress to be focused on eliminating the cuts to Medicaid. I want Congress to be focused on addressing the challenges Americans are facing in this economy, the uncertainty with the tariffs, which are the everyday issues that are affecting the majority of families in this state. And that’s what we need to be focused on.
