photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World
Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.
New legislation banning transgender female athletes means local school districts will have to follow the new law, even if, in the case of Lawrence’s public schools, it goes against the district’s own policies for inclusion.
On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature overrode a veto by Gov. Laura Kelly and instituted a ban on transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports from kindergarten through college. Lawrence schools Superintendent Anthony Lewis said though the district would have to follow Kansas law, the district holds that those students deserve access to the same opportunities as their peers and wants all of its students to know they are valued and supported as individuals.
“Lawrence Public Schools supports the rights of trans/(nonbinary)/(gender-nonconforming) students to participate in school sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity,” Lewis said in an email. “Lawrence Board of Education Policy prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of gender identity or gender expression.”
Lewis said that the school district pledges to provide safe and welcoming schools that engage every student as part of its strategic plan, and that includes the district’s transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students. He noted that the Lawrence school board’s legislative priorities for this year included three statements that spoke to the board’s position on the topic. That includes the board’s support for government policies and legislation that require bias and equity analysis of policy decisions and legislation at all levels; equal rights and equity of opportunity to all persons regardless of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity; and programs that celebrate diversity and honor the achievements of all Kansans.
Lewis also pointed to policy guidance from GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) that addresses the topic. In part, GLSEN states that the ability to participate fully in school life is critical for transgender students’ well-being during adolescence. For students in general, having the opportunity to participate in sports results in positive outcomes — better grades, greater homework completion, higher educational and occupational aspirations and improved self-esteem. For LGBTQ students, GLSEN reports show that athletes have a GPA that is between 0.2 and 0.4 points higher on a 4.0 scale than students not participating in athletics. Furthermore, 56% of LGBTQ team members and 66% of team leaders competing in high school sports report feeling a positive sense of belonging at school. GLSEN also provides information against myths and misconceptions about safety, fairness and equity about including trans athletes in single-sex competition.
As the Journal-World reported following Wednesday’s vote, Janis Guyot, the president of Lawrence PFLAG, a recently formed group whose mission is to support, educate and advocate for the LGBTQ community, decried the recent “barrage of hateful legislation” against LGBTQ people. Many have also noted the number of transgender girls participating in sports in the state is minuscule.
According to the Kansas State High School Activities Association, which oversees sports and other extracurricular activities beginning in seventh grade, there is only one trans female athlete participating in a sport this year. Specifically, KSHSAA Executive Director Bill Faflick said the organization is aware of 12 trans students out of more than 106,000 total participants in athletic activities. He said three trans female athletes were eligible to participate this year, but two of them are no longer participating and will graduate this spring.
As far as college athletics go, University of Kansas spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson noted that the new legislation says that the state Board of Regents and the governing bodies for universities and colleges shall adopt rules to implement the new law. Barcomb-Peterson said with that in mind, KU would work with the Kansas Board of Regents in the days ahead to determine next steps related to the new legislation. She did not indicate whether there are currently any transgender female athletes at KU who will be impacted by the new legislation.
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