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Debate over the rights of transgender athletes to compete in school sports intensified this week in the Inland Empire, with two Republicans calling for the resignation of the Riverside Unified School District superintendent and LGBTQ+ advocates joining the school board. He appealed to “protect transgender children.” ”
During a packed five-hour meeting Thursday night, when a crowd spilled outside Riverside Adult School, speakers wearing “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts called out transgender people on sports teams and in locker rooms. He expressed his anger towards the girls. Some echoed calls for Supt. Renee Hill called on the school board to resign and others to defy state anti-discrimination laws. Many LGBTQ+ supporters, many wearing pink bandanas and waving Progress Pride flags, cheered as speakers called for an end to hate and harassment on campus.
The controversy follows a lawsuit filed last month by two female students at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, alleging that a transgender girl forced them out of a coveted spot on the cross country team. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges that when the girls protested what they perceived to be the unfairness of their situation, a “Save Girls Sports” sign with the words “Common sense, we won’t do it” was used. He also claims that he protested by wearing his shirt. equal) XY,” school officials compared it to making a swastika in front of Jewish students.
Three girls pray among an overflow crowd outside a Riverside Unified School District meeting.
The lawsuit alleges that the district’s policies and practices “unreasonably restrict the girls’ freedom of expression” and deny them fair and equal access to athletic opportunities. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the two girls and their parents by Faith and Freedom Defenders, which describes itself as a “nonprofit Department of Justice dedicated to defending religious freedom in court.”
After an hour of public comment, School Board Member Noemi Hernandez-Alexander thanked speakers for their input, but stressed that the school board is bound by state law.
“Lobby your state legislators,” she said. “They are making the laws that we are bound by.”
State and federal laws prohibit discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students based on their actual or perceived sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
California education law requires students to participate in single-sex school programs and activities, such as sports teams and competitions, and to use restrooms and lockers according to their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on student records. It clearly states that you must be allowed to use the room.
The California Interscholastic Federation, which governs most high school sports in California, allows transgender athletes to join teams based on their gender identity.
A supporter of a transgender athlete waves a Progress Pride flag during public comment at a Riverside Unified School District meeting.
He did not comment on the specifics of the Riverside case, but a statement from Atty’s office said: “We are committed to providing unwavering support to ensure that all students enjoy the right to an equal education, free from discrimination and harassment,” said General Rob Bonta.
The fight in Riverside is one of several across California over trans women in high school and college sports. A Christian high school in Merced canceled a volleyball game last month rather than play against a San Francisco private school that had a trans student on its team, according to the San Jose Mercury News. At the college level, a former San Jose State player and assistant coach filed a lawsuit seeking to ban transgender players from championship games. The judge then ruled that the player could compete in the tournament.
Plaintiffs’ statements
Julian Fleischer, general counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, acknowledged California’s law. But he said the district is still bound by federal civil rights laws that protect people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding.
The Biden administration’s move to expand Title IX rules and provide more protections for LGBTQ+ students is being challenged in court by conservative groups and at least 20 Republican-led states, and President-elect Donald Trump’s It is expected that the administration will reverse this measure. President Trump also addressed his desire to ban transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity. He did not specify how that would be done.
A woman wearing a “Save Girls Sports” T-shirt speaks at the Riverside Unified School District board meeting.
In a press conference ahead of the school board meeting, Fleischer called on Trump and the incoming Congress to “restore Title IX as intended.”
“It’s clear that Title IX was intended to protect biological women,” Fleischer said. “And we saw the complete exclusion of women from sports and programs.”
Ryan Sterling’s daughter Taylor, co-captain of the King High School cross country team, is also one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Taylor had qualified for the Mount SAC Invitational, but was removed from the “team sweepstakes” portion of the event because a transgender runner ran a faster time, according to the complaint. According to the complaint, Taylor thus “missed the opportunity to compete in high-profile competitions and lost valuable opportunities for university recruitment and recognition.”
Sterling said it was “heartbreaking” to see her daughter “have it stripped away” after working so hard this season.
“All we’re asking for is equal treatment,” Sterling said. “This is completely unfair.” Sterling, who wore a hat that read “Support your local girl’s dad,” said her daughter beat a transgender athlete by seven seconds in a subsequent match. he added.
According to the complaint, Taylor and another plaintiff decided to protest by wearing “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts at the Mount SAC convention.
The suit says the two students who wore the shirts are devout Christians and that the shirts were designed to “express their religious views and advocate the protection of fair competition for girls based on their biological sex.” It was said that it was something he had done. They also claim that “the messages on the shirts were not directed at teammates, students, or individuals.”
When he wore the shirt to cross country practice on Nov. 1, he was told by the school’s athletic director that the shirt was creating a hostile environment and that he needed to remove it or cover it up.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the district’s actions unconstitutional because they restrict students’ free speech rights. The school is also asking the court to rule that the school district violated Title IX by failing to provide equal treatment to girls in sports, and is seeking financial damages.
At the board meeting, several people called on the school board to “stand tall” and oppose a state law that would allow transgender athletes to compete. They argued that their concerns were not rooted in prejudice but in a desire to protect young women’s safety and right to compete on a level playing field. At least one speaker argued that there should be a separate sports category for trans athletes.
Supporters of transgender athletes take turns speaking at Riverside Unified School District board meetings.
Riverside Unified School District said in a statement that it is “committed to ensuring the safety of each student in our schools and that they are allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights within existing restrictions.”
“While our district defends students’ right to free speech in our schools and encourages them to express their opinions in respectful and meaningful ways, we also The district also recognizes that there are some limitations to free speech: speech that constitutes a genuine threat, causes serious disruption to the learning environment, or violates the rights of other students.” said.
“Student safety remains our top priority and we are taking steps to minimize any disruption that may result from public attention to this issue, while remaining focused on student learning.” said.
Trans athletes feel unsafe and bullied
Daisy Gardner, director of outreach for Our Schools USA, reads a statement on behalf of parents of transgender athletes during a press conference at the Inland Empire LGBTQ+ Center in Riverside.
Meanwhile, in Riverside Thursday, advocates gathered at the Inland Empire LGBTQ+ Center. Daisy Gardner, Outreach Director for Our Schools USA, read a statement from the parents of transgender athletes at King High School. Behind her, LGBTQ+ advocates held signs that read “No Bullying in Riverside” and “Let All Children Play.”
“Dr. King’s anti-trans movement is spiraling out of control,” Gardner said on behalf of the parents. “This is not about saving women’s sport. This has become a bullying campaign targeting the most marginalized and vulnerable communities.”
The minor student, who requested anonymity, “loves to play chess, loves to do math, and most of all, loves to run,” Gardner said on behalf of his parents. “Like any teenager, she has goals and dreams. But it’s very difficult to focus on her goals and dreams when she doesn’t feel safe.”
One of the adult advocates, Brianna Kick, a senior at King High School, said she has a friend who is a transgender athlete on another school’s team and has found a place with her friends. But once the cross-country controversy erupted, “that was stripped away from her,” Kick said. She said her friend is now afraid to go to school and his attendance has declined.
Several LGBTQ+ students told the board they feel unsafe at Riverside Unified and denounced bullying on campus. Their parents and advocates called on the board to take a firm stand against harassment. In California, fewer than 2% of youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender, leading some to question whether trans athletes pose a reasonable threat to sports teams.
Rep. Bill Essayri (R-Corona) calls for Riverside Unified’s resignation. Renee Hill during Thursday’s school board meeting.
Prior to the Riverside School Board meeting, Rep. Bill Esseri (R-Corona) called for the resignation of the Riverside Unified councilman. hill.
“Schools are offering what appears to be preferential treatment to trans students over girls on these sports teams,” he told the Times. “At the end of the day, the superintendent is in charge of this high school and is responsible for the culture of the school. That’s why I think there needs to be some accountability for the superintendent and that the superintendent should resign. We are thinking.”
He claimed that school authorities discriminated against female students on the university’s cross country team.
“They could have allowed trans students to join the team, but they shouldn’t have kicked girls out of the varsity team,” Esseri said. “Girls and women have the right to be champions, and they are taking that privilege away from them by allowing trans students who have a biological advantage.”
Supporters of transgender athletes hold placards as Young Women for America center Tori Hitchcock shows off her “Save Girls Sports” shirt outside a Riverside Unified School District rally.
(Allen J. Scherben/Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Esseri co-sponsored a bill that would require school officials to notify parents within three days if a child is identified as transgender at school. Critics argued that the bill would exclude and potentially endanger transgender children and violate student privacy protections under California law. The bill died in committee.
In July, the state enacted a law that prohibits schools from requiring teachers to notify families of students’ changes in gender identity.
Times staff writer Jessica Garrison contributed to this report.
This article is part of the Times’ Equity Reporting Initiative, funded by the James Irvine Foundation, which examines the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to address California’s economic disparities. I am.
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