To the Editor:

Recently, I read a North Country Now letter to the editor supporting amending the New York State Constitution.  The writer quoted the text of the 2024 Proposition 1 Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment, “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, as well as reproductive healthcare and autonomy.” Personally, I find the language in this proposition way too vague.

Before you can amend the NYS Constitution to state you cannot discriminate against a person’s gender identity, you must first define the term gender identity. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, gender identity is “a person's internal sense of being male, female, some combination of male and female, or neither male nor female”. Does that mean that if a biological male who self identifies as female, may participate as a playing member of a women’s sports league/team? Does it mean that a biological male who self identifies as female but still has male body parts may change and shower with the females on a sports team?  

Where are all the feminists who fought for equal opportunity for women? They fought to ensure that females received the same athletic scholarship opportunities as males. They fought for equal pay for women in professional sports. Now, they seem to be okay with taking away those opportunities. They also seem to be okay with placing athletic women in jeopardy of physical harm by allowing biologically stronger, faster males to participate in women’s sports.  

Where was the feminist outrage when a San Jose State University 6’ 1” transgender volleyball player hit a female opponent with the volleyball. I am sure the transgender player did not intentionally try to harm the opponent but that player can spike a volleyball at 80 mph. The female player who was hit was knocked down by the force of the spike.

If voters codify this purposeful vague language by voting to amend the NYS Constitution our daughters, and granddaughters will lose their rights to fair competition when attempting to “make the team” or receive college scholarships. They will also be put in harm’s way physically.  

As a female, mother and grandmother who wants equal opportunity and safety for all females, please VOTE NO on Prop 1.

Nancy Foster
Louisville