Texas Woman’s University chancellor condemns violence at signing of 'Save Women’s Sports Act'
Senate Bill 15 prohibits men from competing against women in collegiate sports teams.
‘Throwing glass bottles toward the governor’s car, spitting on elected officials or guests, and shouting obscenities at young children are not in the spirit of free speech and assembly,’ Carine Feyton emailed the campus.
Texas Woman’s University (TWU) chancellor Carine Feyten emailed campus Aug. 9 condemning the violence that occurred when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “Save Women’s College Sports Act” Aug. 7.
Feyton denounced the violence that took place outside TWU’s Blagg-Huey-Library in an email to the university community. Abbott signed Senate Bill 15, which forbids transgender athletes from competing on college sports teams that do not match their biological sex.
“I must condemn intimidating or violent behavior, as some protestors exhibited on Monday,” Feyton wrote. “Holding up signs and chanting are okay. Throwing glass bottles toward the governor’s car, spitting on elected officials or guests, and shouting obscenities at young children are not in the spirit of free speech and assembly. We should never condone such conduct that incites fear or subjects anyone to danger.”
Former NCAA swimmers Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan attended the signing inside the university library. Gaines tied for fifth place with Lia Thomas, a male, in the 200-meter freestyle at the NCAA Championships in 2022, and Paula Scanlan was a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s swimming team, along with Thomas.
Video from the protests outside the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame (yes, even in TX) yesterday where Gov. Abbott signed the Save Women’s Sports Act. Notice the man dumping water on the legislators
You don’t waste ammo on something you don’t want to hit. We’re right over the target🎯 pic.twitter.com/08J0hR8Rlh— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 8, 2023
Various Texas state senators and representatives also attended the signing, including Sens. Tan Parker and Kelly Hancock and Rep. Kronda Thimesch, the North Texas Daily reported. Protestors threw a glass bottle and spat on Sen. Hancock and his wife when they exited the library, CBS News reported.
There were no arrests made at the protest, but there was one misdemeanor given to an individual not affiliated with TWU who was accused of spitting on someone at the event, according to CBS Texas.
[RELATED: SF State admin sides with Riley Gaines’ attackers, blocks her on social media]
Feyton said that while individuals may never find common ground on certain issues, people can be civil.
“At Texas Woman’s, we are bound by duty at an institutional level,” Feyton wrote. “At the same time, we can be compassionate to the challenges that trans students, faculty, and staff experience daily, as well as those experienced by competitors in women’s sports. Life is complex, and still, we can hold one another through it and behave with civility.”
