Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, More Call for 2021 NCAA Events to Be Moved from Idaho

A letter sent to the NCAA by Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King and Sue Bird, along with several other athletes, calls on college sports' governing body to move all championship games outside of Idaho after the state passed discriminatory laws against transgender people:

"We, the undersigned, urge you to move all NCAA championship events in 2021 out of Idaho. As the unifying governing body of college athletics, the NCAA has tremendous power in setting the standard for how values of diversity and inclusion can be reflected in policies and practices, and inspiring athletes, teams, schools and other institutions to do the same. This is the time for the NCAA to stand with us on the right side of history, in support of the rights of all athletes in Idaho to compete in the sports they love.

"In late March and amidst a global pandemic, Idaho enacted House Bill (HB) 500, which explicitly and illegally discriminates against transgender athletes by barring them from competing consistent with their gender identity, and subjects all female athletes to the possibility of invasive genital and genetic screenings."

The Republican-led bill banned transgender athletes from competing in events using the gender with which they identify. The ban applied to all public schools, colleges and universities in the state and goes into effect July 1.

The NCAA issued a statement opposing the law. First- and second-round games of the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament are scheduled to be held at Boise State in March.

"Transgender athletes deserve the same dignity and respect entitled to all NCAA athletes. Because of HB 500, that simply isn’t possible in Idaho," Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director for policy and action with the National Center for Transgender Equality, told the Associated Press. "We applaud the NCAA for speaking out against HB 500 and now encourage them to back up their words with action."

The NCAA previously moved seven championship events out of the state of North Carolina when it enacted a bill that required people to use the bathroom corresponding to their birth sex. The state later amended its law, and NCAA events resumed in the state.