‘This is a fabricated issue being manufactured to create alarm’: Parents sue to block trans sports ban

Thu., May 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A person holds an Inclusive Rainbow flag as about 50 protesters gather outside the Ohio Statehouse as lawmakers debate two bills aimed at health care rights. One bill is HB 454, which would ban gender-affirming health care, such as gender reassignment surgery or the prescription of hormone blockers for people who are transgender. The other is HB 480, which would ban performing abortions. Both bills are currently in committee. Mandatory Credit: Joshua A. Bickel/Columbus Dispatch News Health Bills ProtestWashington voters approved a ban on transgender girls competing in girls’ school sports in last week’s election. But the measure is already facing a legal challenge before it can even take effect.Parents of student athletes, along with the state’s teachers’ union and a trans advocacy group, have filed a lawsuit to block Initiative 638. The suit argues that the measure is discriminatory and that its sex verification requirement could subject girls to “invasive” genital examinations.Initiative 638Initiative 638 passed with about 56% of the vote last week, even as Democrats made major gains across the country. Similar measures also passed in Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska.The Washington measure was funded by conservative hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, and supporters argued that it protects fairness in girls’ sports. But voters in a progressive state backing it came as a surprise to many, with the Seattle Times reporting that it likely won votes from some Democrats.Critics have taken particular issue with the measure’s sex verification requirement. Girls who want to join girls’ teams must provide documentation from a medical provider confirming their sex, through hormone or genetic tests or examinations of their “reproductive anatomy,” per the Guardian. The rule does not apply to boys.The trans-athlete debate has been a hot topic since the election, with MS NOW host Rachel Maddow calling it “a fake problem.”The LawsuitAccording to the Guardian’s Sam Levin, the lawsuit was filed in state court on Monday by parents of trans and cisgender girls, the advocacy group TransFamilies, and the Washington Education Association. The plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice, and Pacifica Law Group.The suit argues that the measure violates the state constitution by infringing on students’ privacy and by applying only to girls. It also argues that the ban violates a state anti-discrimination law that protects trans people.The plaintiffs include the parent of a 17-year-old trans girl who plays sports at her high school, as well as parents of two cisgender female athletes who oppose the sex verification requirement. State school officials have said they are aware of only about 10 trans athletes among roughly 200,000 student athletes in Washington.“This is a fabricated issue being manufactured to create alarm,” said Tiffani Lennon, executive director of Legal Voice. “They’re intending to send a message to trans youth that we don’t want you visible, and they are willing to put in place really extreme measures to ensure that it terrifies enough people to go run and hide.”“If you really want fairness in sports, why would you subject girls to sex verification? Why would you dissuade girls from participating in sports?” Lennon added. “It’s clearly discriminatory.”Seattle Public Schools’ board also voted on Monday to allow the district to take legal action against the ban, which is set to take effect on Dec. 3.The post ‘This is a fabricated issue being manufactured to create alarm’: Parents sue to block trans sports ban appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.