Too Much Wiggle Room

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control issued new guidelines for trans-student-athletes, but they leave the decision up to individual school boards.

WIAA sets new transgender policy among other changes
ConnectStoughton
07/08/2013
By: Anthony Iozzo

New transgender policy

The WIAA [Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association] approved a new transgender policy for student-athletes.
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The procedures for the new policy state that the member school needs to determine the student’s eligibility, which includes school registration information, a written statement from the student and parents affirming gender identity and expression, written verification from a health professional and medical documentation.

Following that decision, a school administrator will contact the WIAA office.

If the school approves, the student will not be able to return to the gender on his/her birth certificate. If it denies participation, the student’s eligibility will be based on birth gender.

There may be an appeal if denied, but that appeal must abide by the school’s appeal policy and the Wisconsin Pupil Nondiscrimination guidelines.

The policy also has a privacy statement that states that the athletic departments in schools must protect the privacy of the transgender student-athlete and that all medical records be kept confidential depending on the state, local and federal laws.

It shouldn’t be up to school officials to decide, it should just be a medical decision. They are already getting medical data from the students healthcare providers and they should let the healthcare providers decide on what team the student should be placed.

Also, “If the school approves, the student will not be able to return to the gender on his/her birth certificate” if only life was so simple. One of the reasons that are on puberty blockers is so that they can go back if transition is not right for them, but rigid WIAA policy does not allow them to detransition.

I have always heard that school sports are to build character; however, it is really all about WINNING. It is not about building good character but about making prim donnas. Allowing trans-student-athletes to play with the gender of their identity is how you build character.