NW Valley Times

Heather Rooks, known as "The Notorious Peoria Mom" on Twitter and a clerk for the Peoria Unified School Board Member, criticized board members while calling attention to testimony about proposed changes to Title IX given before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday by Riley Gaines, a former Division I swimmer and star athlete at the University of Kentucky.

Title IX is a federal civil rights law overseen by the U.S. Department of Education that was enacted in 1972 which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. The department announced the proposed changes to Title IX in April. According to a Fox News report, the changes would ensure that no school or college that receives federal funding would be allowed to impose a "one-size-fits-all" policy that categorically bans transgender students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX. Wednesday’s hearing, titled “Protecting Pride: Defending the Civil Rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,” included commentary from both sides of the debate, with Gaines, now a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Voice, offering an emotional testimony to the Senate hearing about how changes are already impacting athletes.

Following the testimony, Rooks tweeted her support for Gaines and offered criticism for some Peoria Unified School Board members. "Listen to her voice. This is horrific. How can anyone support boys/men going into girl's bathrooms/locker rooms?" Rooks said in her tweet. "Well, Peoria Unified School board members David Sandoval, Bill Sorensen, and Melissa Ewing support boys going into girl's bathrooms in schools."

During her testimony, Gaines blasted the Biden administration’s proposed amendments to Title IX that include transgender issues in schools and colleges. She also testified about competing against transgender athlete Lia Thomas in 2022, and the circumstances of having to share a locker room. "The NCAA forced me and my female swimmers to share a locker room with Thomas, a 6’4” 22-year-old male equipped with (and exposing) male genitalia," Gaines said. "Let me be clear: we were not forewarned. We were not asked for our consent. And we did not give our consent. In swimming locker rooms you’re undressing quickly in front of one another, fully naked. I was forced to take off my swimsuit in front of a man. If nothing else, I truly hope you can see how this is a violation of our right to privacy and how some of us have felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and even traumatized by the experience."

“Women’s rights to privacy and single-sex spaces and opportunities are being encroached upon — sports, sororities, locker and dorm rooms, shelters, and prisons,” Gaines said in her testimony. “Some have tried to tar those of us speaking up for women’s safety, security, and opportunities as ‘transphobic’ or ‘bigoted.’ This is untrue. I’ve heard from gay, lesbian, and trans-identifying Americans that agree females should not be asked to step aside to make room for male-bodied individuals — no matter how they self identify.”