All 12 of the women Republicans in the Legislature are calling on the Oregon School Activities Association, which oversees school sports, to change its policy.
All 12 women Republican lawmakers in the state Legislature are calling on the head of the Oregon School Activities Association to change its policy allowing transgender girls to compete as females in school sports.
The 2016 policy, which allows students to compete in the category of their “consistently asserted gender identity,” aims to be inclusive, according to the association’s handbook.
“Rules such as this one (promote) harmony and fair competition among member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and (increasing) the number of students who will have an opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities,” the handbook says. It adds that the policy promotes “harmony and fair competition among member schools by maintaining equality of eligibility and (increases) the number of students who will have an opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities.”
But the Republican lawmakers disagreed, and wrote to Peter Weber, the executive director of the association, saying that any records or wins by transgender girl athletes were not wins at all.
The letter was signed by Reps. Vikki Breese-Iverson of Prineville, Christine Goodwin of Canyonville, Anna Scharf of Amity, Bobby Levy of Echo, Emily McIntire of Eagle Point, Kim Wallan of Medford, Lucetta Elmer of McMinnville, Jami Cate of Lebanon, Shelly Boshart Davis of Albany, and Tracy Cramer of Gervais, and by Sens. Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook.
Their letter was prompted by a high school competition on Saturday.
Aayden Gallagher, a transgender 10th-grade student at Portland’s McDaniel High School, competed in the girls varsity division at the Need for Speed Classic in Sherwood.
According to the sports website Athletic.net, she placed second in the women’s 200-meter dash — and currently is in fifth place overall — and second in the women’s 400 meter dash, a race where she’s currently ranked fourth. Gallagher also placed seventh with her team in the 4×100 relay and eighth in the 4×400 relay.
Gallagher’s results were picked up by the conservative influencers on X, including “Libs of TikToc,” who posted a video of the 200-meter dash showing Gallagher charging past competitors, called the athlete a “cheater” and said her competitors had their “dream stolen from them.”
The New York Post and Fox News reported on it, and other Republicans weighed in, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas who called Gallagher’s second place finish “disgraceful,” and Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Lyman of Utah who said it was “BS” on X.
In Oregon, the 12 lawmakers asked Weber to “provide a solution to the families seeking answers about why the OSAA doesn’t feel girls’ sports should be a safe space for biological females to compete and succeed.”
Weber told the Capital Chronicle in an email that association officials are consulting with the executive board before responding to the letter. Weber declined to answer other questions about the number of transgender female athletes in high school sports and their results. The association’s handbook says the policy was developed with the Oregon Department of Education.
“The OSAA recognizes that this policy will need to be reviewed on a regular basis based on improved understanding of gender identity and expression, evolving law, and societal norms,” the handbook says.
The issue has come up before. For example, in January, a tennis coach at Canby High School resigned over transgender student athletes competing in girls sports.
The lawmakers encouraged parents and students to boycott any competitions that include transgender girls, and they said they plan to propose legislation next session to strip any transgender girls of their sports awards and records and give those to the female athletes who came next.
That legislation is not likely to go anywhere, however: The Legislature is controlled by Democrats and they widely support LGBTQ+ rights. Nevertheless, this past session, Goodwin of Canyonville introduced a bill with Republican Sen. David Brook-Smith of Port Orford to ban transgender girls from competing in female sports. The proposal, House Bill 4054, was sent to the House health care committee, where it died without a hearing.
Democratic leaders in the Legislature told the Capital Chronicle in an email that the latest reaction to transgender athletes is “predictable, offensive and dangerous.”
“Oregon student athletes should not be worried about politicians using their names in any effort to politicize or police gender,” said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber of Beaverton and House Majority Leader Ben Bowman of Tigard. “Sending a letter to a state agency is one thing but singling out an Oregon child to score political points crosses a line and risks harm to that student and their family.”
They added: “Legislative Democrats won’t play politics at the expense of the privacy, health and safety of our kids. We’re going to protect our kids by focusing on the issues that actually have an impact on their wellbeing — like housing affordability, homelessness, and the drug crisis.”
Contact Keizertimes Staff:
[email protected] or 503-390-1051
SUBSCRIBE TO GET KEIZER NEWS — We report on your community with care, depth, fairness, and accuracy. Get local news that matters to you. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more.
