House Republicans Introduce Women's Bill of Rights, Urge House Democrats and Governor Lujan Grisham To Stand With Women

Riley Gains, a former competitive swimmer and staunch advocate for women's spaces, will visit the Roundhouse in early February to co-host a press conference with the bill's sponsors and other pro-women groups to discuss the importance of women's rights.

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico State Representative Andrea Reeb today announced the introduction of Independent Women's Voice's (IWV) Women's Bill of Rights (WBOR). HB 205 will codify the common sense understanding of the words "male" and "female" when used in law and will help protect single-sex spaces, such as rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, prisons, athletic teams, locker rooms, and sororities.

Rep. Reeb is joined by additional sponsors, including Reps. Jenifer Jones, Gail Armstrong, Cathrynn N. Brown, and Candy Spence Ezzell in calling on New Mexico House Democrats and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to stand with women and prioritize HB 205 during this legislative session.

New Mexico laws and regulations use the words "woman" and "female" at least 2,045 times.

If enacted, HB 205 would assist judges and bureaucrats interpreting New Mexico law by:

Defining sex-based terms;

Articulating the state's interest in protecting certain single-sex spaces; and,

Ensuring the accuracy of public data collection.

Women's Bill of Rights model legislation, first announced in March 2022, was drafted by Independent Women's Voice and Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC) in collaboration with the feminist organization Women's Liberation Front (WoLF).

Representative Andrea Reeb, the primary sponsor of the New Mexico Women's Bill of Rights, said, "Women's rights have been taken over by false idols who are pushing to take away fairness and equity in women's spaces. This pro-woman bill simply levels the playing field and ensures women feel comfortable in single-sex spaces and are competing with women in women's sports."

Jennifer C. Braceras, Vice President for Legal Affairs at Independent Women's Voice and Founder of Independent Women's Law Center, said, "It's becoming increasingly difficult to speak about women and women's rights in a common language. At Independent Women's Voice and Independent Women's Law Center we know what a woman is. Thankfully, Rep. Reeb does too."

Sharon Byrne, Executive Director of Women's Liberation Front, said, "WoLF is a feminist organization that restores, protects, and advances the rights of women and girls. WoLF supports the Women's Bill of Rights as a tool to help protect women's sex-based rights. If we want to be able to advance women's rights, the law must be clear on the definition of women. This bill provides that definition, and a foundation upon which to advance human rights for women and girls in the future."

Lauren Levey, Coordinator of State Legislative Advocacy for Women's Declaration International USA, said, "Women's Declaration International USA is proud to support New Mexico's Women's Bill of Rights Act. Our support is based on Article 1 of the Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights (the Declaration), which reaffirms that the rights of women and girls are based on the category of sex, where sex refers to reproductive biology. In contrast, "gender identity" is based entirely on claimed feelings and on the stereotyped sex roles that are a fundamental aspect of inequality and discrimination against women and girls; it must not be codified. Women and girls face discrimination based on our biology as females, and we are unable to "identify" our way out of sex discrimination."

Riley Gains, a former competitive swimmer and staunch advocate for women's spaces, will visit the Roundhouse in early February to co-host a press conference with the bill's sponsors and other pro-women groups to discuss the importance of women's rights.