Silver State Equality has taken a clear stand against protections for girls' sports. It has endorsed Ryan Hampton. So where does he stand?
Nevada voters care about fairness. And they care about giving their daughters real opportunities to compete, to earn scholarships, and to stand on a podium they worked years to reach.
That's why I agreed to be a co-sponsor of a ballot initiative with Gov. Joe Lombardo to protect girls' and women's sports in our state.
The measure didn't gather enough signatures to make the 2026 ballot, but I'm not done. I intend to keep pushing this issue in the Legislature if elected to the State Assembly in November.
So my position is crystal clear. And Nevada voters deserve to know where my opponent, Ryan Hampton, stands.
I recently wrote about WNBA star Sophie Cunningham being criticized for saying publicly that girls deserve fairness in their own sports. In it, I wrote:
“Ryan Hampton wants to make this election about attacking me for saying girls deserve fairness. Go ahead, Ryan. Say it louder. Let Nevada voters hear exactly what you think a candidate should be attacked for.”
In a huffy response on X, Mr. Hampton characterized my article as “an angry blog post.” What he didn't do, again, was answer the actual question:
Where do you stand?
That's been his pattern all along. We can't find any public statement from Ryan Hampton laying out where he actually stands on protecting girls' sports.
He had a direct opening to clear that up when he responded to my post, but he used it to take a shot at how the post was written instead.
That's his right. But dismissing an article as “angry” isn't a position.
Voters aren't asking him to critique my tone. They're asking where he'll stand if he goes to Carson City. And that's the one question he still refuses to answer.
But here's what we do know.
The Silver State Equality Connection
Silver State Equality, a prominent statewide advocacy group, has endorsed Hampton as one of its “100% pro-equality candidates.”
The group's own endorsement standards say a candidate must be fully in support of its platform to qualify. Nothing partial. Nothing case-by-case.
According to the organization, candidates go through a questionnaire, an interview, and a review of their record before they earn that endorsement.
And Silver State Equality hasn’t hidden where it stands on protecting girls' sports.
When Gov. Lombardo announced our initiative on this issue back in January, the group's state director put out a statement condemning the effort as a “political ploy” and pledging to “mobilize with local and national partners to stop this initiative.”
That's about as clear a position as an organization can take.
So here's the question worth asking.
If Silver State Equality only endorses candidates who are “100% in support” of its full platform, and the organization is actively working to defeat protections for girls' sports, does that mean Ryan Hampton agrees with them?
I don't know. Neither do Nevada voters.
And now that he's had two chances to say where he stands, and used both of them to talk about something else, that's exactly the problem.
I'm not going to put words in my opponent's mouth. I think campaigns are better when we argue positions, not guess at them.
But I do think voters have earned the right to hear Ryan Hampton answer a simple question directly: Do you support Silver State Equality's position opposing protections for girls' sports or don't you?
While we wait for that answer, let me lay out why I believe protecting girls' sports matters, and why I think Nevada's Equal Rights Amendment supports that protection rather than standing in its way.
Why Girls' Sports Exist in the First Place
Women's sports weren't created to keep anyone out. They were created to let women in.
For most of American history, girls and women had far fewer chances to compete in organized athletics than boys and men did. Separate divisions for female athletes changed that.
They exist because there are average physical differences between males and females that can affect speed, strength, and endurance.
That's not a value judgment. It's simply why the category exists.
Take that separation away, and you don't get more fairness. You get fewer chances for girls to win, to start, to set records, and to earn scholarships that can change the direction of their lives.
Three Reasons Worth Weighing
First, fair competition.
Sports already sort competitors into categories for the sake of fairness all the time. We have age divisions. We have weight classes.
Girls' divisions serve the same basic purpose. They exist to level the field.
Second, equal opportunity.
Roster spots, playing time, championships, scholarships, records, and recognition are all limited.
When those slots are opened to biological males competing in girls' divisions, those opportunities become harder for girls to earn.
That's a real concern, and it deserves serious consideration rather than dismissal.
Third, athlete safety.
I want to be careful here, because it would be wrong to claim every biological male poses a danger to female competitors. That's not what I'm saying.
But injuries to female athletes competing against biological males have already happened in real competitions.
That means this isn't a hypothetical worry dreamed up for political effect. It's a legitimate policy question, and policymakers should weigh it honestly.
What the Equal Rights Amendment Should Mean
Silver State Equality argues that protecting girls' sports violates Nevada's Equal Rights Amendment.
I see it differently. And I want to be clear that this is my opinion, since no Nevada court has settled the question.
The purpose of an Nevada Equal Rights Amendment was to protect women, not to erase protections that already existed for them.
Separate girls' athletic competition isn't discrimination against anyone. It's one of the ways we protect women because of their sex, recognizing biological reality while preserving opportunities that generations of women fought to build.
Interpreting the Nevada ERA to preserve those protections isn't in conflict with equality. It's consistent with it.
This conversation isn't about anyone's dignity or worth. Every Nevadan deserves respect, including in how we talk about this issue.
But respect for one group shouldn't mean we stop asking honest questions about the interests of another.
Girls' athletics exist for real reasons, and those reasons deserve a fair hearing before anyone concludes that protecting them somehow violates our state constitution.
The Question for Ryan Hampton
Again, Nevada voters in Assembly District 9 have a right to know where their candidates stand on protecting women’s sports before Election Day, not after.
My position is clear and known.
Silver State Equality has also taken a clear public position opposing protections for girls' sports.
And they’ve endorsed my opponent as a “100% pro-equality” candidate who meets its full platform standards.
Mr. Hampton had a direct chance to answer this question and chose to talk about my writing instead of his position. That's a choice voters can weigh for themselves.
So I'm asking directly, one more time: Ryan Hampton, do you agree with Silver State Equality's position on girls' sports, or don't you?
Nevada voters deserve an answer, not another dodge.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
