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by KRISTINA WATROBSKI | Crisis in the Classroom
TOPICS:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CITC) — A California lawmaker is seeking to prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls' sports at the high school level.
California State Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Temecula, introduced AB 89 earlier this month. Under the legislation, the state's sports governing body would be required to amend current guidance to ban biologically male students from joining girls' sports.
Current state education code allows students to participate in sports based on gender identity.
In a statement to Crisis in the Classroom (CITC), Assemblymember Sanchez said "girls deserve their own space to fairly and safely compete in sports."
"Over the past few years, the inclusion of transgender identifying biological males has led to avoidable injuries and deserving girls being cut from their teams," she said. "This is unjust, and I’m committed to restoring integrity to girls’ sports in California.”
AB 89 was introduced days before the U.S. House passed a Republican-led bill prohibiting schools which receive federal funding from allowing biologically male students to join girls' sports. The legislation will next be taken up by the Senate.
Last week, a federal judge struck down the Biden administration's attempt to rewrite Title IX after nearly a year of legal challenges. The new rules, released by the U.S. Department of Education in April, sought to broaden the civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
The Title IX rewrite was originally slated to go into effect in August, but it was temporarily blocked from several states over claims it was unconstitutional. The U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky Northern Division ultimately ruled on Jan. 9 the new rules both violated the Constitution and exceeded the Department of Education's "authority under Title IX."
Polling data released this month by parents' rights group Parents Defending Education (PDE) and research firm CRC Research found most parents believe students should participate in sports based on biological sex. When asked whether they supported or opposed biologically male students "who identify as females" being "allowed to participate on girls’ sports teams," 78% of surveyed parents indicated they are against the subject.
Only 22% of respondents told PDE and CRC Research they were in favor, according to the data.
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