Transgender athletes set to be banned from girls' high school sports as Alaska Board of Education reaches decision

The Alaska State Board of Education on Thursday voted to debar the trans female athletes from competing in the girls' high school sports.

The board assembled for a special session with an aim to only allow female students in the athletics team who have been assigned female gender at birth. The board took action in order to maintain fairness and equal opportunity for cisgender female athletes.

The proposal was initially put forward in June by the members of the state's education board. It was appointed by Treg Taylor - Alaska's Attorney General- and the Governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy. The proposal then had a 30-day public comment period where hundreds of Alaskan residents put forth their comments.

In March 2022, Dunleavy called out on the State Legislature to pass a law prohibiting transgender female students from participating in female sports. He took to his social media to express his dissent.

"To have biological males competing against biological females nullifies the fair nature of competitive sports," he wrote.

The new regulation is yet to be approved by Taylor. Once Taylor gives the consent all the schools that come under the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), the state regulating body for high school sports, will be eligible to follow the directive.

The current ASAA guidelines grant member schools the authority to independently determine the eligibility of transgender female athletes to participate in sports teams who do not align with their sex assigned at birth.

Once a school approves a transgender student's eligibility for competition, that decision will maintain its validity throughout the student's entire high school period.

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The proposal to ban transgender girls from competing in high school sports received resentful reactions

During the 30-day public comment period, many of Alaska's residents submitted comments opposing the regulation. On Thursday, a special board meeting was scheduled virtually on Zoom and approved the measure with a 7-1 vote. Felix Myers, who was the high school representative on the board, voted his disapproval.

Michael Garvey, the advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska conveyed his dissent through THE HILL after the regulation.

“The Board has totally disregarded the ways this policy violates the privacy of young Alaskans, and sanctions wholesale discrimination against transgender children,” he said.

“The decision to approve this proposal is a direct attack on Alaskan students who simply want to play sports, like any other kid,” he said.