The school board for Independent School District 728 in Elk River, Minnesota, discussed Monday whether or not biological males who identify as girls should be participating in girls’ sports.
“It’s not about hate, it’s about protecting opportunities for girls, opportunities that they’ve earned through years of training, hard work, and sacrifice,” school board member Mindy Freiberg said.
Raising the issue at the end of Monday’s board meeting, Freiberg asked members to oppose allowing transgender girls in girls’ sports, noting that “even if we don’t have anyone of transgender in our district, we still have to play against those teams, and that’s not fair.”
Including trans girls in sports “may sound inclusive, but in reality it’s anything but fair,” Freiberg commented.
A community member in the audience could be heard at the time saying “protect trans youth.”
“The fact is, biology matters in athletics. No amount of identity or hormone therapy erases the fundamental physical advantages that males have: muscle mass, bone structure, lung capacity, testosterone-influenced strength. These are real measurable differences, and pretending otherwise doesn’t make competition equal, it makes it rigged,” Freiberg said.
A study published in the academic journal Sports Medicine found no statistical distinction between cisgender and transgender athletes, and another published in British Journal of Sports Medicine found that transgender athletes are at a physical disadvantage.
However, the board is aligned with broad American public opinion, with 66% of Americans believing athletes should always compete with athletes sharing their biological sex.
These discussions follow a controversial softball game in Minnesota, where a transgender athlete helped to propel Champlin High School’s team, the Rebels, to its furthest-ever position in a state tournament.
Pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, who reportedly legally transitioned at 9 years old, allowed just three hits and struck out six batters. The team won the game against Bloomington Jefferson High School.
While Rothenberger’s participation drew nationwide controversy, parents around the game mostly declined comments to the press. Those who did comment shared mixed opinions.
One spectator, father of Champlin Park junior outfielder Ava Parent, said he was “happy to see the Rebels’ bats come alive.”
On the other side, one Bloomington Jefferson father said that “it was tough, but what can you do? They’re following the rules, whether we like it or not.”
A Minnesota law signed in 2015 granted all transgender athletes the right to participate in sports leagues based on their identified gender.
A complaint was filed against Minnesota’s Department of Education, along with several other school boards and state officials, by the advocacy group Female Athletes United. The lawsuit is still in its early stages, and local school boards have declined to comment.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison did issue a statement, saying “I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are.”
“I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers,” Ellison said.
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Author: Kristina Watrobski
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