A Father Protests Against a High School Basketball Player He Believed to Be Transgender
A week ago, the father of a young collegiate girl’s basketball player confronted the principals of both his daughter’s school and the rival school, demanding that one of the girls be barred from playing because he believed she was transgender.
Jeff Haney, a spokesperson for Canyons School District, stated, “The end result was that this family was openly questioning the player’s eligibility based on his perception of the student-athlete’s gender.”
At the January 19 game, both principals assured the family that the girl had provided the necessary birth certificate proving her age and gender, and that “every player on both teams was 100% eligible to be on the court,” according to Haney.
The angry family was not satisfied. “I wasn’t born yesterday, I know that’s a boy, and you better be able to prove yourself because I’m going to the top,” the father said to one of the principals after the game.
Haney mentioned that the father became so aggressive that they asked him to leave the building.
“The director has made the decision not to allow him to return to any other game,” Haney stated. “We do not tolerate individuals harassing our student-athletes and entering our society and schools.”
While the incident has been challenging, the 17-year-old basketball player told The Tribune on Thursday that she is “just playing basketball as usual and trying not to think about it.” Due to her parents’ concerns about her privacy, The Tribune is not naming the person or the schools involved in the game.
Since Utah legislators began debating and passing legislation focusing on transgender students, the basketball game on Friday was not the first time an incident had occurred. In 2022, according to The Tribune, two parents challenged a child who had beaten their kids at a track meet. After investigating the accused person’s records back to kindergarten, the Utah High School Activities Association found that she had always been a girl.
Since then, other similar incidents have occurred, but UHSAA has not yet provided information on their frequency.
The Canyons School District incident, according to Marina Lowe, policy director for the LGBTQ rights organization Equality Utah, speaks to the environment that has been created in the state since the Government has targeted trans people.
While someone may have the right to inquire as to whether players are abiding by the rules, the 17-year-old’s father suggested that “there must be a line where they trust that the schools and officials are carrying out their duties properly and lawfully.” “You don’t have to waste everyone’s time, do you?”
He argued that the players shouldn’t have to worry about spectators pointing fingers and standing in the stands. “They don’t have to think about that. Just let them continue to play ball.”
According to the girl’s mother, she wants people to consider “the impact this has on the girls.”
Two years ago, the Legislature passed a law that prohibits transgender women from participating in female high school sports. A group of underage players has argued that the bill violates the Utah Constitution by singling them out because of their gender identity, and it has been blocked in court.
The Utah High School Athletics Association policy mandates that students submit a birth certificate attesting to their gender or, for trans girls, provide proof that they have received hormone therapy for at least one year while the lawsuit is still pending.
Next month, the Legislature banned gender-affirming care for minors. Due to the ongoing legal dispute over the transgender sports policy, the organization declined to comment on the most recent enrollment issue at the girls’ basketball game.
HB261, which prohibits trans Utahns from using the restrooms or locker rooms of the gender they identify with in schools or other state buildings, received final approval from the House on Friday. The bill is then sent to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature or veto.
Lowe stated that the issue at the basketball game “gives us a preview of what we’re going to see,” especially in light of the fact that additional legislation is being enacted to largely allow the general public to judge or evaluate people’s physical attributes and whether they are masculine or feminine enough to fill certain roles.
She claimed that these potential conflicts are most dangerous when they involve children.
“This doesn’t just harm the trans community, either. It definitely harms us all,” Lowe continued. “Because when we start policing one’s appearance, we might all be the target of this kind of scrutiny.”
Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, argued that the bills are necessary to protect women and children after co-sponsoring the toilet policy this year and the restrictions on transgender sports last year. He read through a list of news reports about incidents in which young girls had been raped, sexually assaulted, or accosted by people in rooms as they debated.
McCay claimed that none of the offenders were identified as transgender in the articles, but that these were actual incidents with actual issues involving the wrong sex using the incorrect restroom. “I have four daughters. I
‘m done with it now.”
He acknowledged that a legal challenge to the bill is likely.
Federal appeals courts have overturned similar bills in other states in two regions of the country and upheld it in a third. In a legal analysis, congressional lawyers stated that “any law that treated students differently based on their gender or gender identity could be deemed illegal in Utah, but there is no consensus in cases involving access to restrooms and locker rooms.”
Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City, expressed his belief that the bill is “exhausting.” “It’s not necessary. We’ve targeted the transgender community for the second time in a row,” he continued. “The bill is going to cause someone to harm themselves, and I’m worried about that. I’m afraid that it will give someone the confidence to harm another person.”
