Colorado school district seeks restrictions on transgender athletes amid Trump crackdown

At an April school board meeting near Colorado Springs debate raged over a proposed framework to ban transgender students from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity A high school candidate named Sadie who spoke against the guidelines requested why her school district District in El Paso County would need a blanket program when a tiny percentage of scholar athletes are transgender A -year-old man who supported the framework and described himself as stronger than any woman in the building claimed a transgender girl could slam a ball into a girl s head hard enough to put her in the hospital A father opposed to the plan mentioned his son a district apprentice has an extra X chromosome and suggested gender is more complicated than it seems He noted of the proposed initiative We ve now created a situation where an adult is having a conversation with a minor concerning that minor s genitalia That s gross it s disturbing and potentially a crime The up-to-date discussion in the conservative-leaning District is a sign of the times and foreshadows what s to come in other Colorado school districts as federal and local leaders target transgender youth in sports It also highlights the shifting legal ground that school agents across the state are treading as they try to reconcile state law protecting transgender people from discrimination with up-to-date executive orders from President Trump that aim to eliminate such protections Advocates for transgender youth say they are at greater hazard for bullying isolation and mental wellbeing issues and that denying them access to sports teams that match their gender identity will only exacerbate those problems Supporters of policies banning transgender students from teams aligned with their gender identity say it protects girls from getting hurt by transgender players or losing out on playing time wins or athletic scholarships The protocol under consideration in District Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports would apply at the middle and high school levels to transgender boys who want to join boys teams and transgender girls who want to join girls teams It wouldn t apply to sports that are considered coed which at specific schools includes wrestling The guidelines appears likely to pass its final vote Thursday It won preliminary approval in April in a - vote The framework cites a February executive order from President Trump that threatened to withhold federal funding from any school that allows athletes assigned male at birth to participate in girls or women s sports In an early test of that threat the Trump administration settled with Maine and reversed its plan to withhold millions in funding for school meals after the state refused to bar transgender athletes from girls teams The three board members who supported it along with District Superintendent Peter Hilts in April signed on to a group letter demanding the Colorado High School Exercises Association adopt rules to ensure that boys are not permitted to compete as girls in girls sports Brad Miller District s attorney acknowledged during the April school board meeting that adoption of the proposed plan could lead to a lawsuit But he argued the district would win in court because the procedures was meticulously crafted to survive any legal challenge under the Equal Protection Clause of the th Amendment Waiting and worrying for transgender children For parents with transgender children approach debates like the one in District are a worrisome reminder that their kids could be targeted with whispers complaints or worse for playing on teams that match their gender identity Melissa who lives in the Denver metro area and questioned that her last name not be used to protect her family s privacy knows this fear firsthand Although her -year-old transgender daughter enjoyed playing soccer for two seasons Melissa in recent times steered the kindergartner away from the sport I m just very concerned about the current political circumstances that she would be potentially singled out even as young as she is she mentioned Melissa instead signed her up for a dance class which feels like a safer space these days and which the little girl also enjoys Still Melissa feels sad and guilty about the decision knowing she wouldn t have done the same thing for her son who loves organization sports like soccer and basketball If her gender was not on the table I allegedly would have signed her up for soccer this season stated Melissa But unless she s really kicking down the door begging for it I m not going to continue to expose her to something that might be a major issue down the line In the April letter to the Colorado High School Exercises Association more than school board members district leaders and charter school leaders in Colorado urged the group to change its bylaws and guidance for schools to adhere to President Trump s executive order on transgender athletes Colorado s schools and athletic programs which rely on federal funding cannot afford to ignore this clear shift in federal agenda the letter revealed It also referenced Title IX a civil rights law that banned discrimination on the basis of sex in coaching programs and sessions saying Beyond compliance however our demand is rooted in a fundamental commitment to our female students At this time the Colorado High School Sessions Association which governs high school sports in the state recognizes the right of transgender students to join school sports teams that match their gender identity and offers guidance to school districts on the topic But in latest weeks the association has struck a more noncommittal tone At an April meeting for members of the group s legislative council Alex Halpern the group s lawyer described its stance on the letter from the District personnel and more than other district leaders around the state as neutral Our position is and has been that ultimately the determination of who is going to be eligible to participate on a particular interscholastic organization at a particular school is a decision to be made by that school as guided by its board of training and consistent with the principles of local control he reported How a great number of transgender aspirant athletes are there It s impossible to know how various transgender students in Colorado participate in middle or high school sports or how often conflicts arise because of it The Colorado High School Exercises Association doesn t collect details on transgender candidate athletes A spokesperson for the group commented its bylaws allow it to review a school s decision on gender assignment for the purpose of athletic eligibility but it has not been required to conduct such a review in the years the bylaw has been in place Bureaucrats in District a -student district in El Paso County didn t offer much evidence that transgender girls are jeopardizing safety or fairness for cisgender girls meaning those assigned female at birth Hilts the superintendent did provide one example during an April school board meeting He advised of a district high schooler who during a group discussion recounted how her varsity girls soccer company had played against a association from another district that included a whole male That athlete scored twice on penalty kicks and the District company lost Although Hilts stated he hadn t heard of a similar situation during his years working in the district he noted the anecdote informed his thinking about transgender athletes That s a real example he revealed As a general practice of policymaking I give a little more weight to real examples It s not clear from the anecdote if the player who scored was in fact transgender or if the District organization would have won the meeting if that athlete had not participated Lori Thompson president of the District school board explained she knew of one instance of a transgender scholar in district sports It was a transgender boy who sought to join a boys group He was allowed to try out but didn t make the cut Related Articles Federal judge orders Trump administration to unblock pandemic relief money for schools Boulder lecturer who pleaded guilty to child abuse is fighting to keep job as school board weighs his firing Denver Residents Schools declares impasse in contract negotiations with teachers union Books banned in Colorado school district are back on library shelves for now Superintendent accuses Denver school board member of working against DPS requests censure Thompson announced the protocol is not meant to disrespect or disenfranchise one group of students but acknowledged that a transgender apprentice might feel disenfranchised if they are barred from a band Thompson likened the guidelines to proactive protection in matter of unforeseen disasters You don t buy homeowners insurance once your house is burned down she disclosed Connie Lloyd a district resident who spoke at the April meeting cast doubt on the need for the protocol Is this even an issue in D she inquired How several transgender females are playing on female sports How a large number of transgender males are playing on male sports Is this an issue or is it just something made up in Washington This story was originally published by Chalkbeat a nonprofit news site covering educational change in inhabitants schools Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe at newsletters Get more Colorado news by signing up for The Denver Post s Mile High Roundup email newsletter