The school board of Manhattan’s largest district was swept into a nationwide controversy to demand that New York City outbid trans women from participating in sports that are transgender-identical.
On Wednesday, Community Education Council 2 will vote on a resolution to form a review council to introduce changes to the current female guidelines and assess the potential effects on cisgender players. It covers large swaths of Lower Manhattan to the Upper East Side.
The proposal’s lead partner, Maud Maron, said, “Girls and women lose when their hard-fought and won athletics opportunities are ignored.”
The resolution, if passed, is nonbinding, but is drawing sharp criticism in the liberal parts of Manhattan, including from members of the LGBTQ+ community who see it as an assault.
According to a petition that had 2,800 signatories digitally on Tuesday night, their claims that the gender identity policy “hurts cisgender athletes” are false and are based on the false notion that allowing trans kids to play sports lessens the experience of other student players.
The plan of the council is in line with efforts being made across the country, and it follows Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s related press on Long Island.
The Attorney General and the New York Civil Liberties Union are both threatening legal actions as a result of his executive order’s decision to stop transgender girls from participating in sports that are based on their gender identity at county-run facilities. The state of New York prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
Schools Chancellor David Banks made a strong statement about the discriminatory nature of the Long Island ban, promising to assess its impact on students in the area.
“At New York City Public Schools, all individuals have the right to have their gender, gender identity, and gender expression recognized and respected,” said spokesperson Chyann Tull. “Every student is allowed to participate in sports and competitive athletics in our schools in accordance with their gender identity, and we prohibit any student exclusion based on gender identity or expression.”
In typical low-turnout family votes, CEC members are elected for the government.
The plan has four co-sponsors, including Maron, who alongside her councilmate Charles Love headlined a recent provocative “parental rights” party Moms for Liberty function in Manhattan. Prior to joining Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education, Maron ran for City Council and Congress.
Maron, who received criticism on the internet for saying “there is no such thing as transgender kids,” said she was certainly not hostile toward transgender people of any age. “It is pro-children and pro- all kids.”
In 2019, the city made new gender rules that let kids play sports that are consistent with their gender identity. According to education news website Chalkbeat, those decisions were made in the past on a case-by-case basis.
In spite of the lengthy history of female players fighting for equal and equitable access to sports participation, the CEC’s resolution stated that adult athletes were not asked to participate in the guidelines.
According to the current regulations, concerns are raised about “preserving and acknowledging decades of progress by NYC PSAL [Public Schools Athletic League] female athletes to achieve sports equity.”
Gavin Healy, a member of the CEC who did not vote against the decision, said he learned of it Saturday evening after it was posted to the agency’s website.
“My first reaction is this is just a complete red herring, it’s a made-up issue,” he said. “I’m not aware of any instances where a student has missed out on a trophy, medal, or scholarship opportunity as a result of this policy.”
Healy said he’s spoken with District 2 families, including some people who are transgender, who feel the motion is an affront or attack on them. Transgender student athletes should not have to “negotiate” their identity with the CEC, he said:
“It’s your identity, and you’re entitled to it.”
