Betsy DeVos was in Grand Rapids to promote anti-trans hate and the local news media didn’t really question it

Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos showed her face in Grand Rapids to talk about Title IX and the anti-trans movement that exists within women’s sports.

It is interesting that Betsy DeVos is now critical of Title IX policies during the Biden administration, when she provided cover for men who were accused of sexual assault on US campuses by defending “their rights.”

Betsy DeVos was in Grand Rapids as part of the Our Bodies, Our Sports advocacy tour. Several of the local news agencies reported on DeVos speaking in front of the Ford Museum, along with several female athletes that condemned trans women for being allowed to compete in NCAA and high school sporting events that are for women and girls. 

MLive had the most detailed coverage compared to how WOODTV8 and WZZM 13 covered this story. However, only WZZM 13 sought out a critical perspective on what DeVos was saying. Channel 13 got a written response from the Grand Rapids Pride Center, which stated in part:

Title IX was enacted to ensure that no person, on the basis of sex, is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Using Title IX to exclude transgender athletes contradicts the very essence of this law, which is about providing equal opportunities for all students, regardless of gender identity. Excluding transgender athletes from sports harms not only the individuals affected but also the broader community. Transgender youth who are denied the opportunity to participate in sports experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Sports can be a crucial avenue for developing self-esteem, teamwork skills, and a sense of belonging, all of which are vital for the healthy development of young people.

However, the more egregious aspect of the local commercial news coverage was their failure to explore which groups are participating in the Our Bodies, Our Sports tour.

Above is the list of organizations that make up the coalition involved in the Our Bodies, Our Sports tour. There are some groups listed here, specifically the Women’s Liberation Front, the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, the International Consortium on Female Sports, and the Women’s Declaration International, all of which are Radical Feminist groups. Radical Feminists groups are also known as TERFs, trans-exclusionary radical feminist, which are working with conservatives to push their anti–trans agenda.

However, the rest of the organizations in the coalition are far right entities that are not only anti-trans, they are anti-Critical Race Theory, they are anti-Abortion, anti-Public Education, and unconditional support for Israel. The groups that embrace a more far right platform in the Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition are the Independent Women’s Forum, the Independent Women’s Network, Champion Women, Concerned Women for America, Young Women for America, the Independent Women’s Law Center and the Independent Women’s Voice. 

Interestingly enough, one of the advisors & partners with the group Champion Women is Richard Lapchick. Lapchick is the Chair of DeVos Sport Business Management Program, which is located in Florida.

By not reporting on the coalition involved in the Our Bodies, Our Sports coalition, news consumers in West Michigan were denied a full account of who is behind this movement, along with their far right ideology. Once again, Betsy DeVos gets a free pass from the local commercial news media.