McNabb testifies before DOGE subcommittee

On Wednesday, Payton McNabb, a North Carolina native and sports ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum, testified before a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee hearing: “Unfair Play: Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”

“I want you all to know that this issue is very real,” said McNabb during her testimony. “I didn’t realize how big it was until it personally affected me.” 

She explained to the committee that her dad enrolled her in sports from the time she could walk. McNabb expressed her gratitude for having grown up playing sports, as she learned many valuable life lessons and skills. Through high school, she played volleyball, basketball, and softball, her favorite. 

McNabb’s story began back in 2022 when she was 17 and suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck in the face by a volleyball spiked by a transgender athlete on the opposing team. 

“I went into this game knowing that there was a male opponent, but I felt helpless and had no idea what to do,” said McNabb. “Neither I, my team, nor the administration agreed that we should be playing against a male, but the game went on.”  

This was McNabb’s final day playing volleyball. As a result of her injury, she navigates challenges daily, including severe headaches, balance issues, and vision impairment. 

She said she decided to turn her “pain into purpose” and advocate for women nationwide, especially her younger sister, Avery. McNabb explained that since she has spoken out, she has heard from many girls who see male athletes competing in women’s sports in their schools. 

“The fear of being severely injured by a male athlete, who is undisputedly on average, bigger, faster, and stronger than the average female, is real,” said McNabb. 

She has worked alongside Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer, advocating for the passage of HB 574, the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” in the North Carolina General Assembly. After a veto override vote, the bill became law in August 2023.

Western Carolina University (WCU), where McNabb is a student, recently announced that it will not abide by President Donald Trump’s executive order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” 

This order prohibits federal funds from being used for promoting gender ideology; enforces segregation of “intimate spaces” based on biological sex, not gender identity; and throws out the Title IX policy issued by the Biden administration based on gender ideology. 

Just two days after this EO was signed, WCU’s chief compliance officer said in an email, “We are not making changes based on this EO,” citing existing court rulings, reported National Review. 

During a recent Title IX hearing at WCU, McNabb was cleared of “sexual harassment” accusations related to a May 2024 incident in which she confronted and recorded an individual she believed to be a biological male in the women’s bathroom.

On Feb. 5, Trump also signed the “Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports” EO, which rescinds federal funding from educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.”

The order also establishes US policy to broadly oppose male participation in women’s sports competition, citing matters of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth. 

McNabb was also invited to be a special guest of Trump and the First Lady during the joint congressional address in March. 

“What we are talking about is REALITY and basic truth,” said McNabb. “Men have an inherent biological advantage over women when it comes to sports. The advantage is particularly prominent with respect to activities where speed, size, power, strength, or cardio-respiratory characteristics determine performance.”

McNabb advocated for state-level legislation that defines biological sex and keeps female sports safe for women. She argued that all 50 states should have this kind of legislation. 

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