All articles tagged with #school sports
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to uphold state laws that bar transgender girls from girls’ and women’s sports teams, in cases from West Virginia and Idaho that could affect other states with similar bans.
The US Supreme Court is considering state bans on transgender students competing in school sports in West Virginia and Idaho. With about 27 states having bans and 20+ maintaining pro-LGBTQ+ policies, five trans youth and their families describe how athletics has given them community and a sense of belonging, while highlighting the real-world stakes for their rights. A ruling against trans participation could set a broader national precedent affecting LGBTQ+ rights beyond sports.
President Trump signed an executive order to revive the Presidential Fitness Test, a program with roots in Eisenhower's and Kennedy's initiatives, aimed at improving youth fitness amid rising obesity and health concerns. The article discusses the history of the test, its evolution, and the importance of a comprehensive approach to children's health, emphasizing that the success of the new efforts will depend on meaningful action beyond just media attention.
Senator Ruben Gallego acknowledged parental concerns about trans athletes in sports as legitimate and suggested that decisions regarding biological separations in school sports should be made by local institutions, reflecting a rare Democratic stance on this contentious issue amid broader party debates and Republican criticisms.
A girls high school basketball coach and player from Roosevelt High School Early College Studies in Yonkers, New York, have been dismissed after the team they were playing against, The Leffell School, a private Jewish school, was targeted with antisemitic rhetoric during a game. The incident, which involved physical play and antisemitic slurs, led to the Leffell team ending the game early. Yonkers Public Schools and the city's mayor have condemned the incident, and an investigation is ongoing. Efforts to address the situation and prevent future occurrences are underway, with the governor of New York also speaking out against the antisemitic behavior.
Princess Catherine revealed on Mike Tindall's podcast that Princess Charlotte is enjoying opportunities at school that she never had, including playing football and rugby. Kate expressed her pride in seeing young girls, like Charlotte, participating in these sports. Additionally, Kate shared her love for cold swimming, a hobby that Prince William finds slightly crazy.
A grandparent disrupted a school sports event in Kelowna, British Columbia, falsely accusing a nine-year-old girl with a "pixie" haircut of being trans and demanding certification that she was born female. The man's wife allegedly hurled abuse at the girl's mother. The incident has damaged the girl's confidence, and the school district is taking steps to ban the man from all school events. Banning trans youth from sports has become an increasingly popular right-wing culture war issue, with Republican politicians in the US pushing for state bans.
A grandparent disrupted a school sports event in Kelowna, British Columbia, falsely accusing a nine-year-old girl with a "pixie" haircut of being trans and demanding certification that she was born female. The man's wife allegedly hurled abuse at the girl's mother. The incident has damaged the girl's confidence, and the school district is taking steps to ban the man from all school events. Banning trans youth from sports has become an increasingly popular right-wing culture war issue, with Republican politicians in the US pushing for state bans.
Missouri's Republican governor has signed two bills that will limit transgender minors and some adults from accessing gender-affirming treatments, puberty blockers, hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries, as well as some school sports teams. The bills will come into effect on August 28, and will also prohibit Medicaid from covering transgender health care. The laws have been opposed by major medical organizations and lawsuits have been filed in several states where similar bans have been enacted this year.
The Biden administration has proposed a rule that would forbid schools and colleges from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, but teams could create some limits in certain cases to ensure fairness. The proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972. The proposal leaves room for schools to develop team eligibility rules that could ultimately result in restrictions around trans athletes’ participation, but that would be allowed only if it serves “important educational objectives,” such as fairness in competition and reduction of injury risks.
The Biden administration proposed new regulations that would prohibit schools from totally banning transgender athletes from participating in sports but would allow schools to bar some trans players in competitive high school and college sports. The Education Department said it aimed to provide clarity for schools and families and underscored that blanket bans on transgender student-athletes would jeopardize institutions and educational programs that receive federal funding under Title IX, which protections against sex discrimination. The regulation will be open for public comment for 30 days, and the department plans to have the rule finalized by May.
The Supreme Court has allowed a transgender girl to compete on the girls' cross country and track teams at her middle school in West Virginia while her appeal moved forward. The ruling comes after a 2021 law in West Virginia barred boys from competing on girls' teams in public schools. The law made distinctions based on "biological sex," which it defined as "an individual's physical form as a male or female based solely on the individual's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." The case highlights conflicting conceptions of inclusiveness and fairness in sports and is part of an escalating wave of state legislation limiting the rights of transgender people.
The Biden administration proposed a Title IX rule change that would prohibit schools from categorically banning transgender students from athletic teams consistent with their gender identities. However, schools would be allowed to limit participation if it could undermine fairness or lead to sports-related injuries. The proposed rules would apply to K-12 schools and universities and aim to provide clarity on how to handle the issue of transgender athletes in school sports. The rules will undergo a period of public comment before being finalized.
A transgender student athlete, Becky Pepper-Jackson, is urging the Supreme Court to not allow West Virginia to enforce its anti-trans sports ban, which prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in public school sports. The state had filed an emergency request to the court to wipe away a lower court decision. Pepper-Jackson's lawyers argued that the state's claim of being harmed by the appellate court's preliminary injunction against the law is unfounded. The ban has been enacted in several Republican-led states, with conservatives arguing that transgender women and girls have physical advantages over cisgender women and girls in sports, though research has found no direct or consistent evidence of such an advantage.