On May 7, the Quilcene School District in Washington state, decided to ban transgender athletes from competing in sports in the district. This came from a three-to-two vote in favor of prohibiting transgender athletes. Transgender athletes have been a nationwide debate, and this has sparked a lot of controversy so far in Washington state.
The Washington state ACLU cited the issues with this resolution being passed in a letter stating, “We write to express our grave concerns regarding the Quilcene School Board’s recent resolution that bans transgender students from participating in sports based on their gender identity. This resolution is inequitable, discriminatory, and untenable. Moreover, this resolution likely violates Washington’s anti-discrimination laws, as well as violates the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s “Gender-Inclusive Schools” policy.”
The statement mainly focused on how Washington state’s WIAA and anti-discrimination laws, as the WIAA states, “The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has a policy that aligns with state law, allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity.”
The ACLU even had one more point connecting that suicide rates rise 72% when there are anti-transgender laws in place.
The school board responded with multiple claims to the questions about discrimination and why the district took these actions. School board member Ron Frantz had this to say, “Our resolution does not ban anyone, and we believe every student is equally important. Our resolution merely upholds Title IX restrictions, which protect women from unfair discrimination. For the sake of fairness and safety, we believe girls should play in girls’ sports and boys should play in boys’ sports. It is based on biological sex, not gender, as detailed by the Supreme Court.”
Frantz cited Title IX legislation stating the district did it for “fairness” in accordance with this legislation. Another school board member, Jim Hodgeson, said, “Our Resolution is not about Transgender Issues, but rather about Title IX, the federal law of the land since 1972. We are in support of following the Federal Law.”
Hodgeson came from a different angle, stating this has nothing to do with transgender “issues,” differentiating the ACLU’s and FOX 13’s articles about this legislation. Even at the school board meeting, the board members argued back and forth in a heated debate over the legislation.
With this legislation coming into effect, the question arises for school districts along the West Coast and all over the country.
Will this legislation be implemented in different counties across the country and raise the same controversial questions as seen in the Quilcene District?
