Several comments from Alaska State Board of Education Chair James Fields seem to undermine the board’s recent decision to ban biological males from competing in high school sports that are designated for females only.
Last week the education board voted 7-0 to adopt a new policy, explicitly stating that participation on teams created for females will be limited to “females who were assigned female at birth.”
It is now up to the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) to implement the now policy in its regulations, which will likely occur at the upcoming Oct. 8-10 meeting.
Just prior to the Aug. 31 State Board of Education vote, however, Fields suggested that ASAA might be able to allow biological males who have undergone puberty blockers, early on, to get a waiver to allow them to skirt the new policy and compete against girls.
Fields doubled down on this comment in a statement released on Sept. 3.
“When ASAA works their regulations on their end it should include a waiver process that would allow ASAA to rule on those that may have transitioned their gender with puberty blockers or other forms of testosterone blockers prior to puberty,” he said.
Nothing in the education board’s newly approved policy makes any mention of possible waivers, and Fields’ was the only board member to suggest the idea. Nevertheless, his comments could influence the way ASAA implements the new requirements.
Currently, the only waivers listed on the ASAA website deal with exceptions for playing games on Sundays, foreign student waivers and provisions to allow eighth graders to compete at the high school level.
By suggesting that ASAA might be able to create a way around the new policy, Fields’ comment appears to be aimed at placating those who claim puberty blockers and hormone therapy can negate the physical advantages biological males have over female athletes.
An expert report by Dr. Gregory A. Brown, an exercise science professor at the University of Nebraska, contradicts this idea. Brown points out that the physical advantages of males is established well before the onset of puberty.
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Dr. Brown’s points to a European study that examined the athletic performances of boys and girls of elementary school age. The study found that even at age six, boys have significant advantages in cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, speed, agility, and power tests. In the study, the boys outperformed girls at every age in measures of handgrip strength, long standing jump, 200-meter shuttle run, and oxygen consumption, which accounts for 30-40% of success in endurance sports.
Likewise, the idea that cross-sex hormones levels the playing field is also highly questionable. No amount of testosterone suppression in a male who has undergone natural puberty can eliminate significant advantages in arm or leg strength, running speed, muscle mass or bone structure and density.
According to Dr. Brown, on average, there is around a 5% loss of muscle mass and strength, but that cannot reverse the 40-50% difference that typically exists between men and women. And even after two full years of testosterone suppression, males still run 12% faster than women.
Given that the ASAA is responsible for implementing the education board’s new policy regarding transgender-identifying athletes, it will be important for the public to weigh in on their expectations, especially with regard to any possible waivers.
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to contact the Alaska School Activities Association board prior to its Oct. 8-10 meeting.
— Click here to contact State Board of Education board members.
— Click here for information on how to participate in the Oct. 8-10 ASAA meeting.
19 Comments
The only way this will end is when female athletes refuse to compete with biological males. There is no other way to end this madness. Every one of them needs to become a Riley Gaines.
Oh, and BTW, another lackey that Dunleavy SHOULD be calling in. But no.
Is dunleavy relevant?
Why is it so important to have this LGBTQ+ B.S. Forced upon all of us? If these enhanced males want yo play sports then go play. Go try out and get on a team. It tge schools or Anchorage assembly want this to happen why don’t tgey start a third class as Trans. that will end this shit show.
Where is Waldo, I mean dunleavy!?
So it was a 6 to 1 vote then.
Fields is afraid very afraid to lose his power. He can say I voted to stop this, but he’s working behind the scenes. To keep these sick, disgusting, mentally ill, confused men. In women’s locker rooms and to
allow men to win-beat girls in sports
It is a bit disturbing to see so many activists willing to destroy the rights that women have to their own space in the name of a few mentally ill men. Disturbing indeed.
If one reads the report authored by an expert on the subject, it becomes clear that the science is settled. Distrust of the experts must not be tolerated. Purge the science-denier!
He is a coward and afraid to stand up to these people, or he has some skeleton in his closet he is afraid will get out.
Dunleavy is a coward? Who knew?
Stop it, just stop.
Stop I can’t take it anymore!
James Fields needs to be removed from the Board! His comments undermine the Board’s decision and should NOT be given ANY weight. If ASAA takes ANY GUIDENCE from this idiot, I pray that it is so little as to be nothing!
Oh by the way for you scientifically challenged, puberty blockers do NOT change your plumbing!
James misspoke. I believe there was an earlier draft of the regulations that allowed a waiver but the version adopted did not allow for one. The existing regulations that have been on the books for sometime regarding school athletics also do not allow for a waiver, only to take an issue to court. As soon as I saw James’ quote in the news, I contacted him to let him know that even after puberty blockers (hormone therapy – testosterone suppression) a male’s heart is still bigger, his lung and oxygen capacity is still greater, his bone structure still larger, and his muscular system more massive (5-7%+). Allowing waivers for males on girls teams would defeat the purpose of the policy and create an unfair playing field. The vote was 7 to 1 and James did vote for the new policy to limit girls’ sports to biological females. The only dissenting vote was an advisory vote by the student which is not part of the official vote count.
So, what other looney ideas and agendas does James Fields have hidden in his closet?
Fields and all the rest of the Board needs to view New Rule: Along for the Pride | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) – YouTube Plug the title into You tube
Jim
You do a disservice to the public and to yourself when you point to a study that studied ‘boys and girls’ to try and claim it is relevant or even close to an fair comparison to trans boys and trans girls.
How about you point to actual real life examples. Lia Thomas is the only example of a professional trans female swimmer that we have. She competed in 3 events and only won 1 event. She didn’t set any records(in fact her first place finish was 9 seconds SLOWER than the record). She placed 8th, 5th, and 1st in her events. If she had some biological advantage then wouldn’t she have won everything and broken every female record? Oh right…she didn’t. Neither have other trans athletes in other sports.
Likewise, there is a trans man who is a professional MMA fighter with a 100% win record against born males. These are men at the peak of male performance and combat skills. He fought an opponent with several fights under his belt already and the biological male lost. Kinda blows up your argument that women couldn’t possibly compete against trans women and trans men can’t possibly compete against biological men.
Stop being transphobic.
Men don’t belong in women’s sports. It matters not what they think they are in the inside.
If they were “born into the wrong body” then they should have made a better choice on who they were to be before incarnating into this life.
Their confused choices result in their personal challenges. The rest of society should not be abused and ridiculed for rightfully calling out and rejecting abominations of mankind.
The true horror of all this transgender stuff is there seems to be severe mutations to the human genome which is producing more unhealthy and deformed humans than ever before. Have you noticed that many of the LgBT wearing folks you see in public are unhealthy?
We as a healthy society should not be promoting such specimens as desirable. No, we should be encouraging our society to take better care of themselves and stop eating crap that is ruinous to our bodies and stop taking meds that are ruinous to our health.