Kansas school district bans trans students from joining sports teams, using bathrooms of their preferred gender

By ramontomeydw // 2022-11-14

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A school district in the state of Kansas has approved a policy banning transgender students from using bathrooms of the gender they identify as. It also prohibited them from joining and playing in sports teams of their preferred gender. In a 5-2 vote, the Gardner-Edgerton Unified School District (USD) 231 approved on Nov. 7 a policy stating that students must use the facilities and participate in sports teams that correspond to their gender assigned at birth. The original version of the USD 231's policy included a rule mandating that school staff address students by their birth name and gender. However, this was instead revised to say that the staff is advised to use students' preferred pronouns following opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas. Gardner-Edgerton 231's mandate also mentioned that school staff must keep a transgender student's gender-nonconforming status confidential unless the child permits its disclosure to a parent or guardian. Staff members, however, would be required to notify parents if a transgender student requests some form of institutional support, e.g. a separate locker room. (Related: Virginia reverses transgender school policy, returns right to affirm children's gender to parents.) Board members who voted in favor of the policy said they have heard from parents worried about student safety, as well as the bathroom and pronoun policies, at their children's schools. Tom Reddin, the USD 231 Board President, said he was "covering all our bases" when he voted to approve it. "I want to have a safe environment for everybody," remarked Reddin. "But I'm getting lots of emails and stuff that this isn't just the transgender community. We've also got special needs children we want to make sure we're covering."

Brenda Thompson, a parent who was present at the Nov. 7 meeting, lauded the school board for "finally listening to the majority of [the] community" and doing "what is right for the majority of the students."

"This is not, you know, direct measures at them [transgender students]. This is for our school district as a whole and what the majority would like to see," she added.

Students, ACLU disapprove of the policy

Even though USD 231 made concessions on their policy following the ACLU's criticism, the civil rights organization expressed displeasure over the rule. The organization blasted the school district's policy in a statement, writing that it is "proven to negatively impact the mental health and physical well-being of LGBTQ+ students in the district."

"The ACLU of Kansas has heard from multiple families in the USD 231 with trans students who have already been harmed by this policy, and the community debates surrounding it. All students deserve to feel safe and supported at school, and we are evaluating the situation on USD 231 and considering all appropriate options."

ACLU lawyer D.C. Hiegert warned: "The law is on the side of trans students' rights. The policy … could also threaten the district's federal funding and open the school board up to potentially costly litigation."

Students who attended the Nov. 7 school board meeting spoke their minds and expressed opposition to Gardner-Edgerton 231's new policy.

"These kids are trying to be themselves, not predators," student Elizabeth Fielder said. "We've never had an issue with a trans student in the bathroom that I am aware of, that any of the students I've talked to are aware of."

Larisa Briscoe, another student, admonished the school board: "Stop trying to make kids fit the status quo. What you guys are doing is doing more harm than good." Former student Carter Robinson also spoke during the meeting, saying that the policy "does little good" and primarily "isolates and hurts" trans students. "Nationwide, parents have gotten a weird obsession … with locker rooms, restrooms, anything involving trans students. It's just a matter of what they decide is dangerous without actually having evidence," Robinson said. There is, actually.

In August 2022, transgender cheerleader Averie Chanel Medlock, 25, was kicked out of a cheerleading camp in Texas after assaulting fellow cheerleader Karleigh Jones. The latter allegedly called Medlock "a man with a penis."

The incensed Medlock took offense and choked the 17-year-old Jones. Law enforcement later intervened at the behest of Jones' father, and Medlock was then removed from the premises and given a citation.

GenderConfused.com has more stories like this. Watch this video about similar victories against transgenderism in schools. This video is from the Nothing To See Here channel on Brighteon.com.

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Students, ACLU disapprove of the policy

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