It could be said that the Bud Light campaign featuring transgender Dylan Mulvaney was the trigger, but the crux of the situation lies in the fact that gender identification allows anyone to identify as a "female," "woman," or "mother."
Considering that half of the world's population is female—or to be more specific, biologically born female—the move to co-opt the identity of 4.5 million people struck a nerve.
J.K. Rowling, the famed Harry Potter author, has been one of the most outspoken critics of gender identification joined by a swath of supporters such as the Women's Liberation Front (WOLF), Kathleen Stock, Meghan Murphy, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull and Dorat Moutot.
While issues range from the right of transwomen to have access to girl's locker rooms, women's bathrooms and female prisons, the uproar over transwomen in female sports was the loudest.
Within two days of releasing the revised Title IX of the Education Act, 15 states sued the Department of Education.
"We will not comply," said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee. "Title IX is a document that should scare every women, and frankly every man in America."
Females in middle school and on professional sports teams forfeited rather than compete against transwomen; 25 states banned athletes from joining athletic teams that aligned with their gender identity; and sixteen female athletes, including swimmer Riley Gaines, sued the NCAA.
Somewhat ironically, Caitlyn Jenner, one of the world’s most famous trans public figures and former Olympic gold medal-winner (also crowned "Women of the Year" by Glamour magazine) shared her belief that trans athletes should be banned from girls’ sports.
"The solution is simple: when it comes to athletics… you have to compete in the biological sex in which you were born,” Jenner said. “This is critical to protect the integrity of competition in women’s sports.”
All Sources:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqgTftujqZc/?hl=en
https://womensliberationfront.org/womens-bill-of-rights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFIfyHU4XJc
https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Special-Review-No.-22-01.pdf