California School Board of Trustees is targeted at Calmatters transsexual athletes

From Deborah BrennanCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

The Board of Uniform in Redland in Unification approved a resolution for the implementation of “justice in girls’ inter -surrs”, placing the region of the Internal Empire in the middle of escalating conflicts over transgender students.

In 3-2 Divided vote last weekThe Council approved a statement “Providing justice, safety and equal opportunities for all athletes.”

Although the resolution does not specifically mention transgender students, it states that “biological differences between male and female athletes can create inherent advantages in sports, especially in categories specifically set for girls.”

This language seems to extend through the cracks between California’s law – which protects the rights of transgender athletes – and federal policy with President Donald Trump, who signed and signed and Enforcement order In February, a ban on transsexual women and women of women’s sports.

A member of the Redlands Candy Olson school council voted for the resolution, saying that as a student athlete she is “far behind the boys” while training for triathlon.

“You will have to be an absolute denying science to say that boys and girls are equally power and at the same speed,” she said.

Christine Stevens, a spokesman for the school neighborhood, said the resolution was a statement of opinion and would not affect how the athletic programs in the field work.

“The resolution of the board expresses a point of view or intention through an official statement,” Stevens said. “They do not change the way the area operates or imposes enforcement rules. Despite the actions taken by the Council … The legal responsibility of the district should follow all applicable state and federal laws remain unchanged.”

A 2013 California Law It requires public schools to guarantee that students can participate in all school activities and sports teams that correspond to their sexual identity.

California General Prosecutor Rob Bont Bont said in a statement from Calmatters that he would monitor the situation and noted that Redlands Unified already had an attempt at civil rights complaints.

Last May, Bont received a court order Directing the area to turn to “statements and complaints of sexual harassment, attack and abuse of students.” Month earlier the area reached up to $ 45.5 million agreement from 16 lawsuits for sexual abuse by former students.

Kel O’Hara, a senior lawyer for equal rights, the San Francisco -based justice organization, said that even if the resolution never applies, the intention to exclude trance students would be harmful.

“Trans -student discrimination really has negative consequences for their mental health and academic results,” they said.

By creating a resolution as an order against boys in the sports of girls, O’Hara said that the board quietly invalid identity of transsexual girls: “This rhetoric is just boys and men trying to enter women’s spaces is not accurate and so harmful.”

About 3.3% of high school students identified as transgender in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only a small number of students of each gender are elite athletes.

O’Hara said that few transsexual students playing school sports usually look for teamwork and social relationships instead of looking for a competitive advantage. Moreover, the focus on trance girls in women’s sports darkens more common problems, such as uneven funding and resources for team girls, they said.

But transgender athletes have become political lightning. A week earlier Unified School District Chino Valley In Ramona, she unanimously agreed to ask Trump’s administration to intervene against California’s protection for trance students.

And in January Kate Sanchez Kate SanchezRancho Santa Margarita Republican, which is a temecula and Muruta, Introduced a bill who aim to “ban a student whose gender is appointed by a man by birth Participation in girls inter -color sports Team. “This bill was killed in a committee earlier this month.

Even governor Gavin Newo, who received support among LGBTQ voters when he issued marriage licenses to same -sex couples as mayor of San Francisco 20 years ago, recently ragged disputes When he said during a podcast that it was a “deeply unfair” transgender athletes to participate in the sports of girls.

Assembly Corey JacksonA member of the California legislative LGBTQ Caucus, he denied Redlands’ decision, stating that this was contrary to the California Law and the long -standing policies of the California Inter -Hycholastic Federation that regulates school sports.

“CIF has long been pursuing inclusive policies that are aligned with California’s values ​​and legal standards,” says Jackson, a Moreno Valley Democrat, in a statement to Calmatters. “These recent local decisions, including those made by Unified Redlands, are not based on a conscientious or meaningful community dialogue. Instead, they are political and intended to sow division and fear in our communities.”

At the Redlands Board, Olson addressed the audience members, who protested against the resolution, denying that she expressed prejudice against trance students.

“I see all your signs,” she said. “This is not discrimination. This is for common sense, but for safety and justice.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.