Sophia Lorey Is Making Strides In California To Save Women's Sports: EXCLUSIVE
Women's sports are under attack, prompting a brave few to take the call, stand up and speak the truth in order to save it.
Former Vanguard University soccer player Sophia Lorey felt that calling — she is working to speak up for those negatively affected by woke politics and to protect those who believe in free speech, especially within her home state of California.
Like Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan and more courageous women, Lorey stood her ground when challenged, such as in 2023 when protesters attempted to thwart her speech at a library in Davis, Calif. due to "misgendering."
She recognized the protest for what it was: an attack on her free speech.
Sophia Lorey's work as the Outreach Director for the California Family Council has led her to Sacramento, where she's challenged progressives who believe in including male athletes in women's sports, under the guise of "inclusion."
READ: California Library Silences Female Athlete's Presentation For 'Misgendering' People
Sophia Lorey, Outreach Director for the California Family Council. (Photo: California Family Council, used with permission from Sophia Lorey and the California Family Council.)
Lorey is choosing to step up her action as more case studies of men joining women's athletics emerge. Women are losing opportunity and personal safety with the rise of trans athletes.
Rather than turn a blind eye, Lorey is sounding the alarm within her state as California strives to be a sanctuary for trans athletes.
Lorey spoke with OutKick — sharing her experiences with her activism, which is proudly dedicated to protecting women and promoting principles meant to help the deteriorating culture in this nation.
Her stories since being encountered at the Davis library have opened her up to accounts of triumph and heartbreak in the nationwide dialog concerning women and what it means to be a woman.
READ: Library Silences Female Athlete For 'Misgendering' People
We asked Lorey about facing crazed activists, living in California as a "Christian, conservative Gen Z-er," how she encourages others to join the fight, and what she expects to see in the future as a result of her message.
OUTKICK: Tell us the reality of what young women are facing, concurrent with the rise in trans athletes.
SOPHIA LOREY: All these girls that have that same dream of playing a college sport are basically being thrown out the window because they can wake up at 5 a.m. every day and go train as hard as they want, practice as hard as they want, get the good grades, do everything possible.
But when a mediocre man steps onto that woman's field, she's automatically going to lose that chance. Because we can look at it biologically. A male has a bigger muscle mass. We know that males have larger hearts, and larger lungs, and this all incorporates into being a better athlete and being a stronger person. My heart just breaks.
OUTKICK: What arguments do you encounter from people who want trans athletes in women's sports?
SOPHIA LOREY: The main argument we're hearing from politicians in Sacramento or those that are pushing it just here across the state of California, is we need to be loving. That we need to have inclusion, so everyone can have these opportunities.
This isn't inclusivity, it's actually exclusivity. We are excluding women from these opportunities in sex-separated sports. We have these sex-separated sports for a reason. One for women's safety. Two, so they can excel and have these opportunities.
So they've completely overlooked what this is doing to women just to genuinely push their own ideology and push their own agenda for the transgender movement.
OUTKICK: Any heartbreaking stories you've seen in California concerning trans athletes competing against women?
SOPHIA LOREY: The one with Henry Hanlon from Waldorf High School was sad to watch.
We've had lots of people that have gone and peacefully stood outside the games with signs that simply just say, "Protect female sports," and there's men going out there yelling at them.
Someone called in the police and literally said there was a hate crime in action because these women were holding a sign that said protect female sports. What we're seeing here are grown adults in California instead of defending girls, defending children.
They're standing in the way of girls achieving their dreams.
OUTKICK: When speaking with women like yourself and Riley, one common trait is the compassion you all exhibit. People can show up, protest and even suggest harm to women speaking up against trans athletes.
What fuels your compassion for people who oppose you?
SOPHIA LOREY: I think it truly fuels that compassion is remembering the message we're just trying to share. Girls deserve fair and safe sports, and that's all it is. It isn't about attacking anyone. It isn't about tearing people down. It's just sticking to that message. And I think the second part is because of what I do for work and going to the Capitol and seeing all the bills that are coming down.
I do realize that a lot of these people are confused, a lot of these boys think they're girls and going to play on the girls sports teams.
They've been lied to. They've been lied to by government officials, by government leaders. They've been lied to by their teachers and professors. So they're not these horrible people that are looking to just actually ruin girls sports.
Those boys that are trying to switch over they're just as much as victims themselves, they've been lied to. And so it's understanding that we don't hate anyone. We don't hate these people. We just want to make sure that no matter what's going on in society, that girls can continue to have safe and fair sports.
OUTKICK: Considering how divisive the talk around their subject can be, do people, including those who identify as ‘trans,’ reach out in support?
SOPHIA LOREY: Since I began speaking out specifically on the sports issue, I've actually received many DMs from people that said, Hey, I don't agree with 99 percent of the things you're saying because I am a liberal … but I agree with you on this and thank you for speaking out.
We're often seeing support from them, even if they don't want to publicly come out and support.
OUTKICK: Have you noticed any positive changes with where the trans debate is heading, specifically in California, since we're at the hot spot of all this?
SOPHIA LOREY: Absolutely. What most people don't realize is here in California, this didn't just start a year ago. Two years ago. In 2013, AB 1266 was passed into law. That is the bill that allowed for boys to be in girls' sports teams, locker rooms and bathrooms in schools in California. So that's when they said you get to choose what you're doing and these activities based on your gender identity and no longer your biological sex.
So we've seen that in law since 2013. That has brought a lot of awareness. And now we're seeing grassroots groups come together to try to undo that law to protect women's sports and protect girls' sports. This year, especially in California, what's been so amazing to see is this hasn't necessarily been a partisan issue. We have seen extremely right as you can get conservatives and liberals coming together to stand and fight together and unite on this issue.
We have the Protect Kids California initiative, and one of the things this initiative will do is it will undo that 2013 law. It will make it so that you attend schools, locker rooms, and bathrooms or join sports teams according to your biological sex.
OUTKICK: How can people be more proactive about this ‘Saving Women’s Sports' movement?
People are still kind of on the fringe about speaking out, mostly out of a place of fear. Maybe they're misguided and thinking, oh, I don't want to cause harm, because a lot of the rhetoric now forces you to support trans rights or support their sort of self-harming.
SOPHIA LOREY: Yeah. It can seem very difficult to stand up and speak the truth on this in California, but we have to and so I would just encourage those who were scared or don't want to be called transphobic or hateful or homophobic.
Just stick to the topic that this is just pro-women and pro-girls safety and fairness in sports.
Standing up for the truth leads to standing up for the protection and safety of these girls. And that is more important than the lies that are being spewed.
OUTKICK: What message would you want to give little girls waiting on the results of this movement?
SOPHIA LOREY: My first thing to those girls is, I truly want you to know that we are sorry.
We are sorry that this is the time that you are growing up in and what you're having to endure as an athlete.
Second, there are so many amazing people standing up for you and fighting for you and doing all they can to make sure you have the opportunities we had just a few years ago.
Continue to work hard because we're going to work hard on our end to make sure that you don't lose out on your score, or you don't get injured by a man on the team.
We're going to do all we can to stop that. Just keep working hard, do the training, get good grades, and do all you can to accomplish those goals.
And the last thing with that is, as much as it breaks my heart if you get in a situation where you might have to be in a locker room with a man or play against a man, stand up to it. Say you're not going to do it. Just know that when it's scary to do that, when you think you might lose all your friends, there is a great group of people like Riley, like Paula, that are here and ready to cheer you on and to support you and walk you through this.
Keep working hard, and we're going to work hard on our end to help protect them.
Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Send a message: alejandro.avila@outkick.com