After District 2 of Manhattan’s Community Education Council (CEC) District 2 passed a resolution calling for a review of a NYC policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports, it was claimed that it was created without any independent input.
The government, which covers parts of Downtown Manhattan, Midtown, and the Upper East Side, passed Resolution 248 with an enormous 8-3 voting. In light of alleged concerns about “preserving and acknowledging” the progress female athletes have historically made in terms of sports equality in recent years, the Department of Education (DOE) is asked to review and reevaluate its guidelines on gender inclusion.
Some government people say the instructions, which were created in 2019, do not show whether the DOE consulted with adult players, coaches, sports medicine doctors, or other experts in sports or youth development.
The resolution states that the city’s first LGBTQ liaison and stakeholders were in favor of replacing sex with gender identity.
However, the 2019 guidelines, which were originally developed under the direction of former schools chancellor Richard Carranza, are supported by NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks. According to Banks, the CEC resolution is based on “unfounded and misleading” information.
The chancellor said, “It’s especially troubling because we know sports build self-confidence and a sense of belonging, which is especially important for this group of students.” We should be collaborating to wrap our arms around our trans students rather than excluding them. They need our love, encouragement, and support, not political attacks.
What are New Yorkers saying about the resolution?
Chase Strangio, a District 2 parent and lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, was “heartbroken” upon learning about the resolution.
“I was heartbroken when I learned about Resolution 248 as a District 2 parent,” said Strangio. As a trans person myself, as a parent, and as a civil rights lawyer, I have witnessed and confronted the consequences and political impact of predatory behaviors like those described in Resolution 248.
Strangio, who has litigated against anti-trans laws across the country, is “disappointed” that similar restrictions are hitting closer to home.
“I will not sit idly by and watch the same misguided efforts being made in my own school district,” Strangio said.
However, other parents and residents of New York said they are aware of the significance of Resolution 248 and that they would support similar measures in their school districts.
A transgender person who was born male should not be allowed to compete in female sports, according to Tom McLaughlin of Staten Island, as a man who competed in sports for nearly 14 years, both intramural and men’s only, without a doubt. Men typically outperform women in terms of strength and speed in sports.
McLaughlin continued that he competed against girls who never took first place in any competition because he was a student athlete.
He said, “I went to an all-boys high school and swam through other high schools that were co-ed and had women in my events. In any case,” the females never came first.
Another New York City parent, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she would “support a ban” on transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
Meanwhile, NYC elected officials are expressing their outrage over the issue.
It is “utterly shocking” that a resolution would be passed in some of the nation’s largest LGBTQ communities, according to state senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan.
In a joint statement released by Hoylman-Sigal and other state senators, the resolution goes against the principles of fairness and inclusion, as well as perpetuating harmful stereotypes and bias against a population that is already the target of vicious discrimination and harassment. The discrimination against transgender students “does harm both the targeted individuals and the entire school community.”
What is the resolution’s weight?
The CEC’s decision is non-binding and does not have any bearing on whether transgender athletes are prohibited from competing in city hall’s girls’ sports.
However, Maud Maron, a member of CEC District 2, one of the largest districts in the borough, supported and voted in favor of the resolution, which hopes it will “spark a conversation about who is allowed to play girls’ sports,” according to the New York Post.
In a proper and real conversation, Maron said, “If we have a discussion, the outcome might be that nothing changes and that we all discover that these guidelines are exactly as they are.” “But another possibility is that we realize that the excluded voices had something really important to offer and they should have been heard from in the beginning,” he said.
According to an article in The 74, a news outlet that covers education news from across the country, Maron, a Democrat who ran for Congress in 2022, has been outspoken about transgender issues in the past. He even said, “There is no such thing as trans kids.”
Gavin Healy, a parent and council member, called the resolution much more “nefarious” than just a request for review.
Healy, who voted against the resolution, “the message is very clear that the people who are responsible for it believe that biological sex should be the way we define the right to play sports,” he said. “And they want to roll back the current gender guidelines.”
Healy finds it odd that the council only reviews transgender athletes and students rather than other organizations.
Healy remarked, “It’s really harmful that you have cisgender people standing in a vacuum and making decisions about other people’s rights to participate in public space.”
