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 agenda to ban transgender students from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity A high school learner named Sadie who spoke against the guidelines urged why her school district District in El Paso County would need a blanket protocol when a tiny percentage of apprentice athletes are transgender A -year-old man who supported the approach 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 commented his son a district learner has an extra X chromosome and suggested gender is more complicated than it seems He explained of the proposed agenda 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 newest 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 administrators 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 new 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 medical 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 framework 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 a few schools includes wrestling The protocol 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 initiative could lead to a lawsuit But he argued the district would win in court because the program was systematically 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 protocol 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 solicited 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 weeks steered the kindergartner away from the sport I m just very concerned about the current political conditions 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 company sports like soccer and basketball If her gender was not on the table I apparently would have signed her up for soccer this season disclosed 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 Programs 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 plan the letter declared It also referenced Title IX a civil rights law that banned discrimination on the basis of sex in mentoring programs and pursuits saying Beyond compliance however our demand is rooted in a fundamental commitment to our female students At this time the Colorado High School Programs 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 contemporary 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 functionaries 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 association at a particular school is a decision to be made by that school as guided by its board of instruction and consistent with the principles of local control he stated How a great number of transgender apprentice athletes are there It s impossible to know how multiple transgender students in Colorado participate in middle or high school sports or how often conflicts arise because of it The Colorado High School Engagements Association doesn t collect records on transgender aspirant athletes A spokesperson for the group noted its bylaws allow it to review a school s decision on gender assignment for the purpose of athletic eligibility but it has not been demanded to conduct such a review in the years the bylaw has been in place Officers 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 reported of a district high schooler who during a group discussion recounted how her varsity girls soccer association had played against a group from another district that included a whole male That player scored twice on penalty kicks and the District association lost Although Hilts disclosed he hadn t heard of a similar situation during his years working in the district he explained the anecdote informed his thinking about transgender athletes That s a real example he announced As a general practice of policymaking I give a little more weight to real examples It s not clear from the anecdote if the athlete who scored was in fact transgender or if the District club would have won the battle if that participant had not participated Lori Thompson president of the District school board declared she knew of one instance of a transgender pupil in district sports It was a transgender boy who sought to join a boys gang 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 mentor who pleaded guilty to child abuse is fighting to keep job as school board weighs his firing Denver Community 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 revealed the strategy is not meant to disrespect or disenfranchise one group of students but acknowledged that a transgender candidate might feel disenfranchised if they are barred from a unit Thompson likened the strategy to proactive protection in scenario of unforeseen disasters You don t buy homeowners insurance once your house is burned down she announced Connie Lloyd a district resident who spoke at the April meeting cast doubt on the need for the plan Is this even an issue in D she sought How countless transgender females are playing on female sports How a great 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 constituents 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