A conservative nonprofit with ties to right-wing political messaging unveiled a new ad campaign last week, targeting Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders for their refusal to advance legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The group, Voices of Americans, announced a five-figure media buy beginning last Wednesday, including billboards in Harrisburg, sports radio spots, and digital ads. The campaign calls on Shapiro and Democratic House leadership to bring the so-called “Save Women’s Sports Act” to a vote. The bill would prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in high school and collegiate women’s sports in Pennsylvania.
The bill in question passed the Republican-controlled state Senate last year, supported by five Democrats, but has not advanced in the House. LGBTQ+ advocates and civil rights groups argue the legislation is a solution in search of a problem, one that scapegoats an already marginalized group for political gain.
At the time of the Senate vote, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) reported knowing of just one transgender student participating in high school sports statewide. National data further underscores the rarity. According to a 2025 New York Times report, fewer than 10 out of more than 510,000 NCAA athletes identified as transgender.
Despite these figures, Albert Eisenberg, a Philadelphia-based consultant and founder of the nonprofit, insists this is an “opening salvo,” he told PennLive, referencing the upcoming midterm elections. The campaign will focus on four Republican-held U.S. House districts viewed as potential flips for Democrats.
A centerpiece of the campaign is a radio ad voiced by Paula Scanlan, a former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania who competed on the same team as Lia Thomas, a transgender woman whose participation in collegiate sports has been a flashpoint in national debates.
In the ad, Scanlan claims, “We had to undress in front of a male,” a statement advocates have decried as inflammatory and harmful, reinforcing stereotypes and undermining trans inclusion efforts. She also criticizes Shapiro’s previous remarks dismissing such legislation as “extremist.”
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Governor Shapiro has been vocal in opposing efforts to restrict trans rights in schools and sports. In July 2025, he stated, “What we do not need in Pennsylvania are politicians — extremist politicians like Donald Trump, Doug Mastriano and these others — trying to legislate a student’s participation and legislate the restriction of freedom.”
Nevertheless, Republican lawmakers behind the bill, including Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill of York County and Judy Ward of Blair County, continue to claim the legislation is necessary to “protect” girls’ sports despite scant evidence of any competitive imbalance caused by trans athletes.
Advocacy organizations and LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians argue that campaigns like this one aren’t about sports, they’re about pushing anti-trans sentiment into the mainstream and stoking fear ahead of key elections.