The Alaska Schools Activities Association (ASAA) is preparing to vote on a policy next month that would ban transgender girls from female sports teams.
The policy would create a league for biological girls and another for all genders, according to The Associated Press. In the run-up to next month’s vote, ASAA’s board is gathering public comments.
State legislatures across the country have been considering similar bans since Idaho first passed legislation in 2020 restricting “transgender women and girls” from playing on female public school and university teams. Most recently, Kansas and North Dakota became the 20th and 21st states to levy bans on transgender athletes.
Alaska education board urges state to keep trans athletes out of sports not aligned with birth sex https://t.co/slq3g9Jf2n
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 18, 2023
Transgender activists have criticized the bans. In Wyoming, Antonio Serrano, the state’s advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union, said, “It’s about erasing and excluding trans people from participation in all aspects of public life.” Serrano also stated, “Inclusive teams that support all athletes and encourage participation should be the standard for all school sports.”
A 2022 Washington Post – University of Maryland poll found that 55% of Americans believe that bans are needed to limit the advantage female trans athletes bring to competitions. (RELATED: Majority of Americans Oppose Male Athletes Competing In Female Sports, Puberty Blockers For Minors: Poll)
Weighing in on the issue, the Biden Administration last week proposed changes to a Title IX provision aimed at combating sex-based discrimination in federally funded education. The changes would prevent schools and colleges from adopting a “one-size-fits-all-policy” that restricted student participation in sports on the basis of gender identity.
Republican State Senator, Shelly Hughes, said she supports the Alaskan ban because she wants to protect the “original intent” of Title IX that secures opportunities for girls to participate in school sports, according to Anchorage Daily News.
After hearing from worried coaches and parents last year, Hughes said, “If you’re going to go into sports, it’s a big commitment and sacrifice. And we don’t want girls to decide not to do that because they realize, ‘hey, I might not be able to earn that spot.'”
If the ASAA accepts the ban next month, Alaska will be the 22nd state to restrict transgender girls from female sports.
