The board of education in Alaska has voted to approve a proposal to protect girls’ high school sports — barring boys claiming to be “transgender” from competing on girls’ teams.
The proposal, which was approved late last week, states that “if a separate high school athletics team is established for female students, participation shall be limited to females who were assigned females at birth.”
According to The Hill, the proposal now requires final approval from Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor (R) before it can be enacted — though it will only apply to school districts that join the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), which regulates the state’s high school sports.
The ASAA’s current guidelines give each member school the right to decide whether boys who claim to be “transgender” girls can compete on girls’ sports teams.
“However, if a school determines that a transgender student is eligible to compete, that determination ‘shall remain in effect for the duration of the student’s high school eligibility,’” according to The Hill. “Transgender students attending member schools that do not have written policies in place ‘may only participate based upon [their] gender assigned at birth,’ according to ASAA guidelines.”
The new rules were first proposed by members of the state’s education board in June after a similar bill in the state legislature failed to advance out of committee after being introduced by state Republican lawmakers. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has also introduced legislation to protect girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms from being invaded by boys who claim to be girls.
Thus far, 23 states have passed legislation protecting female sports — though court orders have temporarily blocked these laws in Arizona, Idaho, West Virginia and Utah.
This news comes as men masquerading as women continue to dominate women’s sporting events across the country and around the Western world — including in events such as cycling, powerlifting and swimming.
This is NOT a legitimate 🇨🇦National Record.
This is a mediocre lift by a mediocre male who is being allowed to lift against women because… hair colour? 🤔
Shame on the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU).
This is discrimination against the female competitors.#SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/F8mdFpnz01— International Consortium on Female Sport (ICFS) (@ICFSport) August 14, 2023
The ACLU of Alaska condemned the state board of education’s decision in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter — falsely claiming that the “unconstitutional and harmful proposal” was “banning trans girls from school sports.”
Paula Scanlan, a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum, fired back at the ACLU for their lies.
“I have said it once and I will say it again. No one is being banned from sports,” she wrote, pointing out that “everyone has a right to and should play sports in school” — but noting that participation should be based on biology, not self-identification.
“They want to make our position seem extreme, so they claiming we are banning people from sports outright. We are not and I will continue to call it out when I see it. Stop lying, trans girls are welcomed in all male sports,” she added.
I have said it once and I will say it again. No one is being banned from sports. Everyone has a right to and should play sports in school, but they should do so based on sex not self id. They want to make our position seem extreme, so they claiming we are banning people from… https://t.co/6uGCFJGSxi
— Paula Scanlan (@PaulaYScanlan) September 2, 2023
