Manhattan school committee approves plan to hinder transgender students' access to sports

Manhattan’s largest school board district passed a resolution pressing the city to bar transgender girls from playing sports with teams that match their gender identity during a contentious meeting Wednesday night.

The resolution, which passed 8-3, asks the city to create a review committee that would examine the Department of Education's gender guidelines permitting students to participate in school sports that align with their gender identity. But with schools Chancellor David Banks referring to the resolution as “despicable” it seems unlikely the city will give it much credence.

The effort comes amid a national debate over transgender rights as well as a local battle on Long Island where Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is trying to ban transgender students from certain athletics.

Parents and community members packed the offices of Community Education Council District 2 in Chelsea where the vote took place. The district is among the largest in the city and encompasses much of the Upper East Side as well as Lower Manhattan. Most speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting Wednesday night denounced the motion.

“Some kids are born taller, faster or more coordinated, but we don't consider that unfair,” said District 2 parent and DOE employee Jared Danker. “Whatever this resolution's intention is, its primary impact would be to marginalize, frighten, and discriminate against a group of students who need our affirmation and support.”

Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the ACLU and District 2 parent said the school district was not the right venue for the discussion.

“It is not the authority of New York City to say what Title Nine means ... we don't do civil rights law by committee,” Starngio said, referring to the federal statute barring sex discrimination in schools. “That's not the purview of the way in which we do civil rights laws in this country.”

Maud Maron, the lead sponsor of the proposal insisted that it only seeks to examine the current guidelines.

“One of the results of a committee could be [that] we got it right the first time. Let's keep it exactly the same. But there could be other outcomes,” she said. “There could be other suggestions and you can't know what the good solutions are, unless you hear all of the different ideas in the room. And that's what this resolution is calling for.”

Maron was involved in a recent “parental rights'' event for Moms for Liberty, a national group that has sought to remove books and discussion from schools about LGBTQ+ issues and race.

Maron said trans athletes would have a voice. The language of the resolution, though, calls for Public Schools Athletic League female athletes to be included in the committee, along with parents, coaches and relevant medical professionals and evolutionary biology experts — it does not mention trans athletes would be part of the group.

Three hours in, the meeting reached a boiling point when the council voted to adjourn briefly because a transgender speaker spoke for longer than the two minutes allowed, prompting several members to walk out of the room.

Resolutions by CECs, which are elected groups of parent leaders with a mostly advisory role, are non-binding, but send a message to education leaders about what parents want to see happen in schools.

Speaking to the Panel for Educational Policy on the same night, Schools Chancellor David Banks slammed the effort, calling it “despicable” and “hateful".

“This resolution is based on unfounded and misleading information, and it’s especially troubling because we know sports build self-confidence and a sense of belonging, which is especially critical for this group of students,” Banks said.

The move comes a month after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order barring trans women from participating in women’s sports teams at facilities run by the county. The decision started a legal feud with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who demanded Blakeman rescind the order, calling it “blatantly illegal.” The county executive responded by filing a lawsuit against the attorney general.

Jessica Gould contributed reporting.