Venue BOOTS Title IX Event—Backlash ERUPTS

Conservative event celebrating girls in sports faces venue cancellation in Santa Fe due to alleged “partisan” concerns, showcasing the ongoing battle over biological women’s rights in athletics.

Key Takeaways

• The Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute abruptly canceled the Independent Women’s Forum’s Title IX celebration, falsely labeling it “partisan political”
• The cancellation came after a news report highlighting New Mexico’s transgender rights stance, suggesting ideological targeting
• The event has been successfully relocated to the Inn and Spa at Loretto, allowing the celebration to proceed with Education Secretary Linda McMahon
• Organizers plan to sue the original venue for breach of contract and First Amendment violations
• The incident demonstrates the growing challenges facing those who advocate for protecting women’s and girls’ sports

Venue Suddenly Cancels Women’s Sports Event

In a blatant display of ideological discrimination, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute abruptly canceled the Independent Women’s Forum’s “Her Game. Her Legacy.” event celebrating Title IX and girls’ sports. The venue falsely characterized the family-friendly celebration as a “partisan political event” and announced the cancellation publicly before even notifying the organizers who had signed a nine-page contract. The sudden cancellation followed news coverage about New Mexico’s stance on transgender policies, suggesting the venue’s decision was motivated by pressure from activist groups opposed to protecting women’s sports.

“As much as we support free speech, we want to make it clear that SFFMI is in disagreement with the message and intent of this particular event,” said Santa Fe Farmers‘ Market Institute.

The venue’s justification for the cancellation included claims that the event description was misleading and expressed concerns over security and press conference requirements. However, these issues were never previously raised during the planning process. More troublingly, the venue’s own mission statement claims to value “equity” and “kindness” – principles that apparently don’t extend to supporting female athletes in their struggle to maintain fair competition in sports against biological males.

Organizers Refuse to Back Down

Rather than accepting this unjust cancellation, the Independent Women’s Forum quickly secured an alternative venue at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, thanks to the hotel’s general manager who recognized the importance of the celebration. The event will proceed as planned, featuring notable speakers including President Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon and accomplished female athletes. This marks the 53rd anniversary of Title IX and will kick off a bus tour across New Mexico promoting awareness about protecting women’s sports.

“This is not a rally. This is not any type of political event. It’s a non-partisan, non-political celebration,” said Beth Parlato.

The organizers had already invested significant resources into the event, including staff travel, entertainment booking, and extensive marketing efforts. Victory Coley, one of the event organizers, aptly summarized the real victims of the venue’s decision when she stated the obvious truth about who is truly being harmed by this kind of cancellation culture targeting those who support women’s sports.

“They’re not just canceling our event. They are canceling little girls. They are betraying girls and women, female athletes. They’re canceling all of that,” said Victory Coley.

Legal Action Planned Against Discriminatory Cancellation

The Independent Women’s Forum is not simply moving on after finding a new venue – they’re preparing legal action against the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute for breach of contract and violation of First Amendment rights. The organization has stated they have a strong legal case, as the venue explicitly admitted to canceling the event because they disagreed with the message, a clear violation of contractual obligations and potentially constitutional rights.

“We had a contract. It is a nine-page contract, a legal and binding contract, and it’s pretty solid. They don’t agree with their message, so they have canceled us. And it’s illegal. So in our opinion, our legal opinion, they have breached the contract. They have discriminated against Independent Women. And they have violated our First Amendment rights by acknowledging that they don’t agree with their message, so they’re not allowing us on their property. So we will file lawsuits,” said Beth Parlato.

This incident highlights the growing challenges faced by those who advocate for protecting women’s sports based on biological realities. Despite claims of inclusivity from progressive organizations, there appears to be little tolerance for events celebrating the original intent of Title IX – providing equal opportunities for biological women in sports. Thankfully, the resilience of the Independent Women’s Forum ensures that this important celebration will proceed, sending a powerful message that attempts to silence supporters of women’s sports will ultimately fail.

“Our intention is to serve them with a lawsuit because we’re not letting them get away with it. We did not do all of this to get canceled by a small group of people who chose not to support girls. So it’s unconscionable what they’re doing,” said Beth Parlato.