After delaying a decision on whether to ban gender-confused biological males from participating in girls high school sports, the Alaska State Board of Education is set to vote on the proposal during an Aug. 31 meeting.
In July, the board received more than 1,300 written comments and listened to more than two and a half hours of testimony – both for and against the proposal. In order to give due consideration to all comments, the board chose to postpone a final decision.
On Thursday, however, the board is set to take a final vote, which would clarify that girls’ sports are for females only.
The one-paragraph proposal states that it aims to ensure “fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for female students in high school athletics” by stipulating that if schools create a high school team for females, “participation shall be limited to females who were assigned female at birth.”
While there will be no public testimony, the public is invited to attend this meeting by joining online through Zoom (click here for details), or via phone at (253) 215-8782. The meeting starts at 1 p.m.
Advocates of the proposed rule change include scores of parents, athletes and coaches who are concerned that gender-confused biological males pose a threat to the integrity and safety of female sports. They have also pointed out that girls stand to lose out on opportunities to compete for championships and earn scholarships if their division is opened up to biological males.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
Opponents of the proposed change included activist groups Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Alaska, along with many public school teachers and principals. These groups claim that males who think they are females should be encouraged and supported in their beliefs, even if that means letting physically stronger and faster boys compete as though they were girls.
“Trans girls are girls,” was a commonly repeated phrase throughout the public testimonies in July.
If adopted, the proposed changes would direct the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), which oversees high school athletic competitions in Alaska, to bar gender-confused biological males from participating in female-only competitions.
Currently, each individual school is allowed to make a “gender determination” regarding a student’s sex. ASAA simply accepts – without challenge – whatever each school determines, which means gender-confused biological males who claim to be female have been allowed to compete against girls in Alaska. Anchorage and Fairbanks are the two largest districts that allow for this, while the Mat-Su expressly prohibits biological males from competing on all-girls teams.
TAKING ACTION
To contact members of the State Board of Education, use the contacts listed below.
— State Board Chair James Fields – Email: james.fields@alaska.gov
— Board member Lorri Van Diest – Email: lorri.vandiest@alaska.gov
— Board member Jeffrey Erickson – Email: jeffrey.erickson@alaska.gov
— Board member Bob Griffin – Email: bob.griffin@alaska.gov
— Board member Sally Stockhausen – Email: sally.stockhausen@alaska.gov
— Board member Barbara Tyndall – Email: barbara.tyndall@alaska.gov
— Board member Pamela Dupras – Email: pamela.dupras@alaska.gov
— Military Advisor LTC James Fowley – Email: james.fowley@alaska.gov
— Student Advisor Felix Myers – Email: felix.myers@alaska.gov
21 Comments
Is anyone aware of any transgender students in Alaska who want to participate in sports of any kind?
It doesn’t matter, No man should be competing against women. What don’t you get.
Well, Take a look, and read. Connect the dots.. all the way over to West Virginia.. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-anziulewicz-9913b273
In other words, this is not so much about addressing an existing problem as it is whipping up anti-LGBTQ hysteria.
Lobo, doxxing people is childish, especially when you hide behind the anonymity of a screen name. Not my style.
Chuck (Charles), you suggested that it is “childish” to point out that you, a resident of West Virginia. involved in political, and ideological commentary in a state that is all the way across the nation from you, using your name, but no risks of local backlash.. I do agree that it is a public platform, and freedom of speech is one of our rights.. The question then comes up; are you purposefully attempting to “poke” or challenge the sexually related ideologies of those who see things differently than do you ? As for my nickname, it’s what I am know as amongst those who know me, and I will continue to use it whether you like it or not.
Yes it’s an existing problem, whether it’s in Alaska or not it’s a big problem.
I don’t care what you do behind closed doors. But you bring this evil LGBTQ cr@p to schools, to groom our children then yes I have a problem.
Yes, they call it Special Olympics. They have a place to play their sports already, no need to contaminate the pool of healthy kids.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/transgender-boy-competes-in-girls-high-school-championship-races
Sports are competitive for your gender only. If a confused male want to play sports he can try out and get placed on the male team. There is nothing stopping them. Males don’t belong on the girls teams. It is unfair to the girls that are good enough to get a scholarship and go to college with it.
This must be why Richard Levine and Pete Butthead were up here – making sure to threaten everyone if they don’t vote to allow the gender-confused young adults compete in sports they should not be competing in.
Penis/vagina why is this complicated?
What was made beautiful has now become stupid!
Satatnic!
Thursday is this week’s Friday. The board can vote to allow males to compete against females and have the whole weekend for the furor to die down. Otherwise, they could have voted during the first of the week. I pray my prediction is wrong, but I would lose money betting on my prediction.
As a same sex attracted man, I resent your remarks and find them offensive. I have NEVER seen “anti-LGBTQ hysteria” in Alaska in the 46 years I have lived here. It is people like you who try to whip up “hysteria” towards rational people who follow science and common sense. As a person that served in our military to protect your rights to free speech, I ask you to think about how you support endangering our children with your views.
Proud Alaskan
My views are my own, but when you push your views and demand that I believe your science which is false. That men have periods, then we have a problem. If I want to go to my church that’s ok I’m not making you go. But when I don’t agree with your sickness you demand that I believe.
We would get along better if people would agree to disagree and not push there opinion (a view or judgement formed about something not necessarily based on fact or knowledge). Once Again just to get the science correct, your a man your a man, your a woman your a woman end of story.
Yes thank you for serving!
As Appletree noted, I was responding to Chuck.
Charles (Chuck) may not understand that you are replying to He/Him/It.. I question whether “he” ??? has ever been to Alaska.
It does seem that Michael P Hughes was responding to Chuck rather than Proud Alaskan…
I’m Bad, Sorry
I just finished watching the school board’s discussion on not allowing boys to compete on girl’s teams. Only 1 dissenting vote, the student representative, and one abstention…the military advisor.
A GREAT day for Alaskan girls!
Thank you for this update! Thank the Good Lord Above!