D’Orsie + Ciarrocchi: Shapiro refuses to tell us if he’ll protect women’s sports
Governor Shapiro was finally asked if he’d sign Senate Bill 9, “The Save Women’s Sports Act,” which would ensure that only biological females can play competitive women’s sports.
His non-answer and partisan attack embody that of a slick salesman. “What we do not need in Pennsylvania are politicians — extremists politicians like Trump and Mastriano, and these others — trying to legislate a student’s participation…” Yet, he declined to say if he’d veto the bill: “It’s a hypothetical…and, I haven’t reviewed it specifically.”
Well, he has reviewed it… and bringing up Trump and Mastriano on legislation that affects over one million Pennsylvania girls is deflection to the nth degree. We are proud to be relegated to “these others,” who have the courage to stand with girl athletes in the Commonwealth.
His response was quintessential Shapiro — the self-described moderate who touts bipartisanship: 1) blasts Republicans by calling them “extremists;” 2) ignore the facts of the issue that weaken his response (e.g., five Democrats in the State Senate joined every Republican in voting for the bill; and most pollsters show that over two-thirds of even Democrats support this kind of bill); and, 3) offer a slippery non-answer that allows him to later either sign or veto the bill, without appearing to contradict himself.
Slick Shapiro. Ignore the issue at hand. Attack Republicans. Offer platitudes. And leave everyone both nodding their heads and wondering where he stands.
As much as Governor Shapiro employs diplomatic, ambiguous language to appear moderate, in a state that’s trending red, he’s failed to confront two major politically popular items on his endless campaign for president. Yes, he employs skillful, sleight-of-hand rhetoric, but he also employs over 20, highly paid social media influencers to pad his brand. But what may haunt the Governor is his abandonment of students, and his treatment of women. All things considered, the man who expends so much time, energy, and taxpayer money to seem like a bipartisan centrist is actually a political chameleon.
Shapiro likes to brand himself as a defender of women, yet he is still mum on arguably sexist threats from his Philadelphia Building Trades toward Treasurer Stacy Garrity. This cold silence isn’t new. The infamous sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Governor’s internal team two years ago involving then-Cabinet Secretary Mike Vereb was met with very few words from the Governor – and, sadly, very few questions from the legacy media.
Usually very disciplined in front of the camera, Shapiro snapped this week when he called Pennsylvania legislators who are fighting to protect the integrity of girls’ sports “extreme.” It’s not been the first time accusations have been hurled at Republicans from the Governor’s office, but it might be the first time they’ve been levied on an 80/20 political issue. His comments aren’t just tone deaf, they’re possibly disqualifying.
As an emerging Democratic presidential darling, Josh Shapiro, who prides himself on bipartisan agreement, finds himself amidst the mere 20 percent of Americans who believe girls’ sports should be dominated by biological males. A 2025 New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 79 percent of Americans do not support men invading girls’ sports fields, courts, and locker rooms, even 67 percent of Democrats hold this belief. (We believe that the numbers are even higher.) Senate Bill 9, the Save Women’s Sports Act, carried the support of five Senate Democrats, which is good for over 20 percent of the Democratic caucus.
The only sensible conclusion, then, is that the Governor picks and chooses when the “bipartisan” hat might be politically useful. With this strange betrayal of Pennsylvania women and girls, he has sided with far-left political ideologues — betraying not just girl athletes, but Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike.
80/20 issues are few and far between, but 70/30 issues are almost as rare. School choice is one of those issues – one that 70 percent of Pennsylvanians support – and one that Governor Shapiro has failed to deliver on.
Whether it was his veto of Lifeline Scholarships, a school choice program that would rescue kids trapped in low-achieving schools, or his support of heavy-handed and nefarious cuts and restrictions to public cyber charter students, the Governor again finds himself siding with a politically minimized minority. “Mr. Moderate,” who campaigned on supporting school choice — and personally exercises school choice as his children attend a private religious school — found a way to talk the talk, but veto the bill doing what he said he supports.
If “Slick Shapiro” refuses to answer this basic question, or if he tries to defend the indefensible — allowing men to compete in women’s sports — he shouldn’t even get re-elected as our governor. Then, we’ll never know if voters across America would tolerate his slippery non-answers to basic questions that impact their families.
Representative Joe D’Orsie represents the 47th District, serving parts of York County. A former student athlete, Joe both wrestled and played football at Duquesne University. Follow Joe @JoeDforPA
Guy Ciarrocchi is a commentator and strategist—and softball coach. Follow Guy @PaSuburbsGuy
Your piece framed “Slippery Josh” perfectly. When he first became governor, I’d marvel at how quickly he’d arrive at any event where TV cameras were present to score political points, but no longer, since it’s become laughably predictable at this point.
From day one, Shapiro has commenced a war on women. He enjoys trying to project a moderate, tolerant philosophy, however, is actual positions, when he is forced to articulate them, is basically the extreme left position of radical progressives. I am still puzzled as to how he was able to give millions to an “Islamic Center” without having to explain how this is not state aid to a religious organization. The lame story that it is to provide for “community services” is patiently a lie. Religious organizations can indicate they separate secular from religious activities; however, funds and activities are fungible, The less you spend on secular activities from your member’s donations, the more of your members donations you can devote to religious activities. Shapiro has never articulated how he feels about Sharia law being applied in Pennsylvania. His track record with women is abysmal, first he claimed the innocence of the lambs with the sexual harassment going on in his office, taking the position of “I’m a trusting, good hearted person totally fooled by my staff.” He then takes to anger to try to explain how full-on abortion health care is somehow. Perhaps he forgot about the Dr. Gosnell scandal in Philadelphia of the not-too-distant past. The most tragic position is his tacit approval of men in women’s sports, His response to women being set up to be hammered into unconsciousness, is to be angry to whoever raised the issue. Shapiro is nothing more than a principle-less, opportunist, trying to gain money and some form of notoriety. No wonder why he is the darling of the radical, leftist progressives.
Representative D’Orsie,
During the Biden Administration annual net migration averaged around 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023 according to the Congressional Budget Office, with Goldman Sachs estimating slightly over 2 million per year. Then the Trump Administration supposedly shut down the border. The Wall Street Journal estimated a decline in the immigrant population of 773,000 in the first four months of this second Trump administration. The Washington Post reported a million foreign-born workers exited the workforce since March…. that means NET, NET, NET we just lost approx. 3 million workers. Yet the unemployment rate stayed constant. What must have happened for that to be true? I’m 48 yrs old. In the 1970s, the U.S. experienced high inflation rates, peaking at around 15%, while unemployment also rose, exceeding 7% during certain periods. How did we just lose 3 million workers and unemployment rate has not been affected? Did you see China has humanoid robots that run less than $6,000? What happens when they populate factories and run without lights 24/7? Why are you guys always reactive instead of proactive?
That’s something I’d like my PA Reps and local leaders to be focused upon rather than these ridiculous issues – the parents can tell the school boards to go jump in a lake. We need our leaders to keep the FBI in check so they don’t intimidate the parents. But let’s stop giving the far-Left energy and let’s get back to actual governance on serious matters.
Remember, as attorney general shapiro sued the Little Sisters of the Poor because they would not provide birth control coverage in their health care plans. This was after The Little Sisters won in the Supreme Court. This guy has no real convictions except that he wants to be president.