Rebecca Dow, House Representative of New Mexico, said that Title IX was designed to protect equal opportunity and safety for women. She argued that rejecting privacy concerns as bigotry misinterprets the law. The statement was made on X.
"This headline is misleading," said Rebecca L. Dow, New Mexico State Representative for 38th District (R). "Women have fought too hard — from Title IX protections in sports to earning the right to vote — to now be told their privacy concerns & the opportunity to earn a place at the podium are bigotry. Title IX was created to ensure equal opportunity & safe spaces for women in education, not to erase biological reality."
According to the Wall Street Journal, debates over Title IX and transgender athletes have intensified in New Mexico and across the United States. Advocates support inclusion in women’s sports, while opponents argue it threatens fairness. These disputes have led to state-level bills, federal investigations, and high-profile executive actions in recent years.
The Williams Institute at UCLA reports there are about 300,100 transgender youth aged 13–17 in the U.S., but only a small fraction participate in girls’ and women’s sports under Title IX policies. Most state athletic associations set additional eligibility rules, and no official national count has been published.
Gallup polling found that public opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports increased from 62% in 2021 to 69% in 2023. Legal tracking shows that 23 states now ban and 21 restrict transgender youth from participating, though New Mexico continues to allow inclusion according to recent surveys and advocacy reports.
Dow, a Republican Representative for New Mexico’s District 38 first elected in 2016, has focused on education policy. She founded early childhood programs and sponsored bills on parental rights and school choice, according to her biography on Wikipedia.
