Girls left in the dust as male-born transgender athletes win state track titles in 5 states

Right, it’s just a transphobic thing.

You can get a glimpse of how and why it came to be that males in much of the US now can use gender identity claims to get into girls' and women's scholastic and community sports - and locker rooms, bathrooms, shelters, rape crisis centers, prisons - by looking at how the laws and policies pertaining to school sports in Connecticut were changed.

The current policy in CT allows male students to compete in female school sports - and to use school facilities meant for female students such as girls'/women's bathrooms, locker rooms, sleeping accommodations and to particpate in female-only programs like sex ed/health lessons - if they say they "identify as" transgender, gender-diverse, gender fluid or something else that isn't "cisgender."

This is due to four major developments on the legal front:

In 2000, the Connecticut Connecticut Office of Human Rights ad Opportunities - CHRO - issued a declaratory ruling holding that the prohibition against sex discrimination in the laws over which CHRO has jurisdiction, covers discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.

In 2008, the governing body for school sports in Connecticut, CIAC, issued its first formal"Transgender Participation" policy. It said:

A student-athlete will compete in the gender of their birth certificate unless they have undergone sex reassignment. [I'll give the full policy in another post].

Whilst the 2008 policy theoretically pertained to students of both sexes, in practical application it was really about setting out criteria for male students who identify as transgen der to participate in female school sports. This was because CIAC already had longstanding rules in place allowing female students to try out for and compete on boys' teams - but the converse was not true:

Girls may participate on boys teams. Girls may participate on either a girls team or a boys team in the same sport, but not both, within a time period of one school year.

However, a member school has discretion to exclude girls from boys teams when it can demonstrate that its overall sports program does not limit athletic opportunities for girls.

Boys may not participate on girls teams.

Even as the CIAC issued its first formal "Transgender Participation" policy in 2008, it reiterated that "Boys may not participate on girls teams."

In 2011, the CT legislature passed Public Act 11-55, “An Act Concerning Discrimination,” which added gender identity and gender expression to Connecticut’s anti-discrimination laws. P.A. 11-55 codified that discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression is prohibited under statutes pertaining to sex discrimination and authorized the CHRO to investigate and process complaints in this area.

PA 11-55, which went into effect in July 2011, does not require people to have undergone any kind of medical interventions - hormone suppression, hormone supplementation or surgery - or have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder in order to be legally recognized "as a gender different from [their] sex assigned at birth."

In 2013, the CIAC scrapped its 2008 "Transgender Participation" policy and instituted a much looser one that opened up the female category to any male willing to say he "identifies as" a girl.

2008 “Transgender Participation” policy adopted by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference:

CHANGE #6: ARTICLE IX (RULES OF ELIGIBILITY), Section IV (General Procedures)

B. Transgender Participation
CIAC rules and regulations allow transgender student-athlete participation under the following conditions:

1. A student-athlete will compete in the gender of their birth certificate unless they have undergone sex reassignment.

2. A student-athlete who has undergone sex reassignment is eligible to compete in the reassigned gender when:

•The student-athlete has undergone sex reassignment before puberty, OR
• The student who has undergone sex reassignment after puberty under all the following conditions:
• Surgical anatomical changes have been completed, including external genitalia changes and gonadectomy.
• All legal recognition of the sex reassignment has been conferred with all the proper governmental agencies. (Driver’s license, Voter Registration, etc.)
• Hormonal therapy appropriate for the assigned sex has been administered in a verifiable manner and for sufficient length of time to minimize gender-related advantages in sports competition.
• Athletic eligibility in the reassigned gender can begin no sooner than two years after all surgical and anatomical changes have been completed.

• A student-athlete seeking participation as a result of sex reassignment can access the CIAC eligibility appeal process.

RATIONALE [for the change]: While the eligibility of transgendered students has not yet been a “live” issue in Connecticut, the CIAC Board felt that it should be pro-active and have a policy in place for any future eventualities.

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In 2008, the CIAC also made this relevant change to its policy:

CHANGE #4: ARTICLE IX (RULES OF ELIGIBILITY), Section IV (General Procedures)

Explanation of change: To require a female athlete who participates on a boys’ sports team during the regular season to compete in the boys’ tournament for that sport even if a girls’ tournament is offered simultaneously.

F. Girls may participate on boys teams. Girls may participate on either a girls team or a boys team in the same sport, but not both, within a time period of one school year.

However, a member school has discretion to exclude girls from boys teams when it can demonstrate that its overall sports program does not limit athletic opportunities for girls.

Girls who participate on boys’ teams, because the school does not offer a girls program in that sport, may enter either the boys or the girls tournament, but not both. Girls who choose to participate on a boys’ team when the school offers a girls’ team in that sport, may only enter the boys’ tournament.

Boys may not participate on girls teams.

RATIONALE [for the change]: Present CIAC rules allow a girl to participate on a boys’ team even when an equivalent girls’ program exists in a school and gives the athlete the option to participate in either the boys’ or girls’ post-season tournament. The CIAC Board believes if a female student-athlete chooses to play on a boys’ team in the regular season she should be required to play in the boys’ tournament. This change levels the playing field and does not give an advantage to a female athlete who has competed against boys all season were she to compete against girls in the post-season.

2013 “Transgender Participation” policy adopted by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference:

The CIAC is committed to providing transgender student-athletes with equal opportunities to participate in CIAC athletic programs consistent with their gender identity. Hence, this policy addresses eligibility determinations for students who have a gender identity that is different from the gender listed on their official birth certificates.

The CIAC has concluded that it would be fundamentally unjust and contrary to applicable state and federal law to preclude a student from participation on a sports team that is consistent with the gender identity of that student. [Therefore] a student’s eligibility to participate in a gender [it should say sex] specific sports team [is to be] based on the gender identification of that student….at the time that sports eligibility is determined for a particular season.

the CIAC shall defer to the determination of the student and his or her local school regarding the student’s gender identification.

[However, the CIAC expects that a student’s gender identity for sports participation be consistent with the student’s gender identity] in current school records and daily life activities in the school and community at the time that sports eligibility is determined for a particular season.

Students should not be permitted to participate in practices or to try out for gender [sex]
specific sports teams that are different from their publicly identified gender identity at that time or to try out simultaneously for CIAC sports teams of both genders [sexes].

when a school district submits a roster to the CIAC, it is verifying that it has determined that the students listed on a specific sports team are entitled to participate on that team due to their gender identity and that the school district has determined that the expression of the student’s gender identity is bona fide and not for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage in competitive athletics.

Students who wish to participate on a CIAC sports team that is different from the gender
identity listed on the student’s current school records are advised to address the gender identification issue with the local school district well in advance of the deadline for athletic eligibility determinations for a current sports season.

after the issue of gender identity has been addressed by the student and the school district, the determination shall remain consistent for the remainder of the student’s high school sports eligibility.* The CIAC has concluded that this criteria is sufficient to preclude the likelihood that a student will claim a particular gender identity for the purpose of gaining a perceived advantage in athletic competition.

Students should not be permitted to participate in practices or to try out for gender [sex] specific sports teams that are different from their publicly identified gender identity at that time or to try out or compete simultaneously for CIAC sports teams of both genders [sexes].

Nothing in this policy shall be read to entitle a student to selection to any particular team or to permit a student to transfer from one gender [sex] specific team to a team of a different gender [sex] during a sports season

*NB: The requirement/expectation that a student who claims to have a special gender identity be locked into sports categorization according to that identity has now been rescinded. CT Human Rights officials and the CIAC's attorneys determined that such a policy would unfairly discriminate against students who "identify as" gender-fluid, as well as students who identify as transgender/gender-diverse at one point in HS but go on to change or abandon that gender idenity later on while still in HS.

In 2019, to stave off criticism of the CIAC Transgender Policy resulting from the dominance of two teenage male athletes - Terry Miller and Andraya Miller - in girls' HS sprints, CT education officials issued two documents clarifying and justifying the policy and to serve as reference and discussion guides:

FAQ: Why are transgender athletes allowed to participate in the sex category with which they
identify? CT law and Title IX compliance

On March 1, Executive Director, Glenn Lungarini, consulted with the legal division of
Connecticut’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO). The attorney for
CHRO stated that they were aware of the controversy surrounding transgender athlete
participation in Connecticut and have been monitoring the topic closely. The CHRO attorney
stated that their office was very pleased with the policy, actions, and position that CIAC has
taken on transgender athlete participation.

He [the attorney for the CHRO] affirmed [the] interpretation of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64(a), Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-51(21), and gender fluidity provided by CIAC’s attorneys, Shipman and Goodman [explained below].

Furthermore, he confirmed that [the CHRO believes] Title IX supports transgender athletes being provided the opportunity to participate with the gender of which they identify.

Finally, the CHRO attorney stated that if CIAC changed its policy to be more restrictive of transgender participation we may be susceptible to discriminatory action.

Shipman and Goodwin [CIAC’s attorneys] reviewed CIAC’s policy, accounting for applicable legal considerations and related guidance. They concluded that “gender fluid” is itself a form of gender identity or expression, and therefore that the team selection policy for these students should reflect the fluid nature of the gender fluid identity or expression to the maximum extent possible.

We [CIAC] recognize that it would be impractical and disruptive (and perhaps susceptible to gamesmanship) to permit gender fluid students to switch back and forth from one gender[sex]-specific team to the other at their discretion (which theoretically could result in daily alternation between teams).

Accordingly, we have proposed two possible “open enrollment” periods [ a CIAC season or a school year]. The “open enrollment” period should be the shortest increment of time that is
practical, so that the rule will be consistent with the protected status of gender fluid students.

Also in July 2019:

The CIAC executive director, Glen Lungarini, offered strong support of Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood, male teenagers who were using gender identity claims to compete - and dominate - in girls’ HS sprints in CT. This led some of the female athletes who'd been forced to compete against Miller and Yearwood to file a Title IX complaint with the US Department of Education and a lawsuit in federal court against CIAC and other CT school authorities charging them with sex discrimination against female athletes and violating Title IX.

In an interview reported in The Connecticut Register, Lungarini said, “Title IX refers to sex but does not define what sex or gender is. It reverts to your local legislature in terms of defining.”

“Connecticut state law is clear,” he said, that a male person who says he identifies as transgender like Miller and Yearwood “should be treated as a girl.” Indeed, he went further than that, asserting,” They’re not transgender, they are female.”

In the same article, ACLU attorney Dan Barrett - one of the ACLU attorneys providing Miller and Yearwood with pro bono legal representation and calling them "heroes" - said the advantage that male athletes have over females is the same as the advantage that superior athletes of each sex have over other athletes of their same sex.

Probably going to continue in sports that most people do not care about. The only way this might stop is if a trans Male, let’s say a back up on a division 1 men’s basketball team 6’6” 205 etc decides he is a women and takes a no name women’s team (say Bowling Green) to a national championship and defeats a team like South Carolina. Then the out cry might be too much (Dems start losing too many black votes etc)

I'm fine with trans girls running track--as long as the effects of puberty are mitigated, i.e. they are either on puberty blockers or have been on HRT for at least a year, preferably two years. In other words, their testosterone levels do not exceed what is normal for a cisgender female. This notion that boys can compete with girls simply because they "identify" as girls (e.g. Oregon) is simply ridiculous.

In January 2024, the Connecticut Department of Education issued an updated guidance document - "Guidance on Civil Rights Protections and Supports for Transgender or Gender-Diverse Students" - that doubles down on the state’s commitment to “full inclusion” of students who say they "identify as" trans and gender-diverse in facilities, programs and athletics meant for the opposite sex.

The new guidance states unequivocally that the “the obligation of school districts and schools to provide gender-diverse students with equal access to educational programs, activities and facilities consistent with their gender identities” is the paramount objective - and always must take precedence “irrespective of any concerns or objections raised by other students, parents, staff, or community member.”

The 2024 guidance states:

Title IX permits school districts to provide single-sex restrooms, locker rooms, shower facilities, and athletic teams so long as both sexes are treated equitably.

Nonetheless, while a school may provide single-sex restroom and locker facilities, under Title IX and C.G.S. §10-15c, all students must be allowedto access those facilities that correspond to their gender identity.

In simple terms, just as cisgender males and females must be allowed to use facilities that comport with their respective gender identities, so too must gender-diverse students be allowed to use facilities that align with their individual gender identities.

schools cannot require that gender-diverse students use facilities that are inconsistent with their gender identity… regardless of whether other students, parents, guardians, district staff, or community members raise objections.

The obligation of school districts and schools to provide gender-diverse students with equal access to educational programs, activities and facilities consistent with their gender identities applies irrespective of any concerns or objections raised by other students, parents, staff, or community member… the discomfort of others is not a permissible basis for failing to accommodate an individual’s gender identity.

district or school policies that prohibit gender-diverse students from using bathrooms that are consistent with their gender identity serve no substantial public interest and violate both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution Similarly, such a prohibition would likely be held to violate Connecticut law, specifically C.G.S. §10-15c(a).31

Umm...they don't? This is a pretty new issue and we have to let people work it out. I'm not for this any more than I was for caster semenya setting records. But that took a while to sort out. Some might say too long, I grant you, but there are advantages to doing things slower with more discussion.

Fox is Democrat Lite. All California Republican/consevatism is Democrat Lite. As in, we're Democrats just slightly less criminally insane. Until every admitted Democrat is scorned as a racist, sexist, heterophobe, pro-criminal, anti-victim, groomer and gaslighter of the nation's children enabler, then nothing will get better.

Males have advantages at the chromosomal level, at the design of the skeletal system, etc. Just "puberty" blockers aren't going to cut it. In fact, "trans girls" isn't going to cut it either, mentally ill males is what you need to say.

Connecticut's 2024 Guidance for Schools sets out the following rules for

Establishing [A Student'] Gender Identity

As noted, C.G.S. §§1-1n and 46a-51(21) provide that gender-related identity can be established in various ways, including, but not limited to: (1) medical history; (2) care or treatment of the gender-related identity; 3) consistent and uniform assertion of such an identity; or (4) any other evidence that the identity is sincerely held, part of a person’s core identity, or that the person is not asserting such an identity for an improper purpose. This list, however, is not exhaustive and does not describe all the ways in which gender identity may be established.

•Consistency of [Gender Identity] Expression Not Required: While consistency and uniform assertion may be a way for individuals to indicate their gender identity, neither federal nor Connecticut law requires that individuals consistently and uniformly assert or express a particular identity.

Students who identify as gender fluid may express that in ways that conform with more than one gender, even from one day to the next.

•Documentation [of Gender Identity] Not Required: Neither federal nor Connecticut law requires students to produce identification documents for the school to acknowledge their gender identity or expression.

Requiring such identification — which students are often unable to obtain — could have the practical effect of limiting or denying students equal access to educational programming and activities, including, but not limited to, athletics.

And most Democrats are for border control too, we just realize refugees are a thing, foreign talent is a thing, and the danger of a Gestapo is a thing.

You need something man. A rest. A hobby. A camping trip. IDK, but something. That's not healthy. When I think about Republicans who want to make themselves rich by ruining the environment, which is our only life support system, and endangering our health and survival, I get steaming mad too. I mean tell me what's conservative about that? But it's not healthy for me to stay that angry and post on the internet about it.

so the solution? arm them and make them the police

-Seattle

You haven't been involved with youth sports if you don't know that the boys are crushing the girls way before puberty. Except for the girls that are exceptional, or overtrained.