By Annelise Hanshaw
(Photo- A teenager speaks during a Senate hearing during the 2023 legislative session, donning a vest with a transgender flag (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)
Enforcement, which was murky last year, remains unprescribed with many districts stating that they will follow the law without describing how.
The law, which bars transgender athletes from competing according to their gender identity, penalizes noncompliant schools by revoking their state funding. It calls for state education officials to create any rules necessary for enforcement.
But the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education “is not involved in school athletics and activities,” its spokeswoman Mallory McGowin told The Independent.
The Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), which is not a state entity, oversees eligibility for extracurricular events.
The association has eligibility standards that schools statewide require their athletes to adhere to in order to compete in MSHSAA-sanctioned events. One such requirement is a semiannual physical, in which doctors clear athletes to compete.
The paperwork provided by MSHSAA for the sports physical asks the student’s sex as assigned at birth and gender identity for the medical history provided to the doctor. The form submitted to schools only includes sex as assigned at birth.
But MSHSAA is not the enforcer of the law, said Andrew Kauffman, the association’s spokesman. Individual schools are.
When asked if MSHSAA has provided guidance to schools, he said it “has advised its (member) schools to follow the law.”
According to the Movement Advancement Project, which maps policies affecting LGBTQ people in the U.S., 25 states ban transgender athletes from participating according to their gender identity.
When a Missouri Senate committee was hearing the bill in 2023, a swath of advocates warned lawmakers that the legislation would harm transgender youth.
“Bills, such as (this one), communicate not just to the LGBTQ community but to all people that our very existence can and should be rejected and devalued,” said Shira Berkowitz, senior director of public policy and advocacy of PROMO, Missouri’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group.
School had brief answers to questions about their policies, with most unwilling to grant requests for an interview.
“We follow the state statute with regard to what gender is listed on a birth certificate and MSHSAA guidelines in terms of student participation in sports based on gender. We have worked effectively with families and student athletes to comply with the state law and we will continue to do so,” Rockwood School District’s spokesperson said.
In a review by The Independent of Missouri’s 10 largest school districts’ student manuals, Rockwood was one of two to cite state law in policies around athletic eligibility.
“The district complies with all relevant state law regarding participation in athletic competitions,” the policy says, citing the section that restricts participation based on sex at birth.
Wentzville School District based its policy on the law, copying phrases out of state statute and noting a loss of funding if the district does not comply.
The other districts lacked mention of the statute, or gender identity, in their athletics eligibility policies.
The policy in North Kansas City High School says: “Participation… can be granted to those who meet the eligibility standards of the school and the state of Missouri.”
MSHSAA is widely pointed to in eligibility policies.
Fort Zumwalt School District, in O’Fallon, determines eligibility “in accordance with the MSHSAA regulations and school district policies and regulations.”
Prior to the state law, there were only five transgender athletes eligible to compete in MSHSAA events.
41 comments:
This is such ridiculous BS. We're all used to this magat intrusive fear mongering. Now if we can only get magats to believe all children are more important than their guns and second amendment than pulling punitive limitations and discrimination against lgbt kids. Hey magats, you nutjobs are truly disturbed if you believe a gay kid ismore of a threat than a gun. If you magats had any redeeming qualities, you would ask the kids in Georgia today what they think of you, your hatred, and fetish for guns.
Wow. Times have ethically changed.
When will this insanity stop, I am not much of an athlete so I believe I am going to identify as paraplegic and compete in the paraplegic games. I will feel so much better about myself when I win! On the issue of guns. The left states that if we ban abortions they will still happen illegally in unsafe conditions, agreed, but if we ban guns they will all be gone and no one will circumvent the legal process. Think about that!!
910, twist my words all you want but what remains is quite obvious: you're a magat that takes more pride and satisfaction keeping anyone who doesn't look like you (white male), think like you (right wing magat), and share your ideas of sexuality and gender alignment (straight), suppressed and submissive to you. Secondly, you're part of the rightwing 2nd amendment heart less cult that will stand together and do nothing to protect kids in school or our communities from gun violence. Keep on spewing your misinformation and fear mongering. You're fortunate that you can hide behind your magat beliefs and never have to face or explain why you like kids but love your guns and white male straight-ness more. You could run for president on that platform, but alas, its already been taken.
there are many forms of mental illness, we see proof of that in the ones "identifying" and also those that comment like 11:49 & 5:57 trying to defend/justify all this gender identity madness.
5:57- who hurt you?
@3:49 Nobody is banning guns, or trying to ban guns, please be realistic.
Guns are not a healthcare choice involving a human body.
Oh, the insanity!
Abortion is murder call it what is.
Gender confusion is mental illness,
Women have a vagina
Men have a penis
Any other thought on this is wrong.
There is far more mental illness all around us than we realize. All of this "Gender identity" is a perfect example, as well as those that try to defend/deflect with all the "magat" "fear mongering" comments, 11:49, 5:57.
Ak47, AR15 are weapons of war and should never be in the hands of the public, much less a 14 year old murderer, call it what it is. Without diversity in life, all life would perish...call it what it is. Without intellectual advancement, we go stupid...call it what it is. Without the debate of ideas and change we become stagnant and destructive, call it what it is 1126.
That's a very narrow set of views on topics you clearly don't understand very well, @11:26.
11:26 understands it perfectly well.
Without intellectual advancement we go stupid....telling it like it is 305, 138.
2:02 those are facts, thats why its extremely narrow because there is no room for BS.
What is a woman?
It’s your momma damn sure ain’t your daddy
a swath of advocates warned lawmakers that the legislation would harm transgender youth.
Nobody has harmed the trans community more than the people who support it..
Dear Trans Community:
Don't tell me I have to accept you for who you are when you couldn't even accept yourself for who you were.
Seriously556, 619? Maybe the most spectacularly ridiculous posts of all time. Stay in your qanon magat hole because you both are truly quite confused by any measure of reality.....again.
1:59 If AR-15’s are so dangerous why have mine committed no crimes?
Some of you have some good comments on this subject. My question is, why does (mostly) everyone post anonymously? This question applies to any post. Thank you.
My name is Elvis, Pat.
3:33 & 7:17, keep commenting with your big words attacking everyone who doesn't share your opinion & views and your helping 556 & 619 prove their points.
Your complete lack of humanity is astounding, and disgusting.
I challenge anyone of you to walk up to someone wearing a pride shirt and try talking to them like you do here. Bunch of inbred cowards. Big, tough, and ignorant talking crap behind a screen.
7:17 We are confused? you’ve got to be kidding, I’m quite confident we know what a woman is, I’m sorry that you don’t
Because I can, some people are in positions that they can’t express themselves without repercussions from work home church etc and they would rather be anonymous than put up a fake profile like Pat did
To make you feel better I’ll put up a fake name as well
WOW - How do we get so far Off Subject from Guns and Abortions - when the Topic is about Trans competing on Girls Teams - which is Unfair...
OMG - You are either born - Male or Female - If you want to compete in Sports, compete in the Sport you want based on your Birth Gender - not on what you want to be. This is unfair for Girls to compete against Boys. Or if you want get a group of Trans Kids together Girls / Boys and let them compete against themselves - fine. But don't Force Girls to have to compete against Boys -
People don't come back from the delivery room and when asked what did you have a Girl or Boy or Trans - last time I looked it didn't say Trans on the Birth Records or whatever Pronoun of Week they want to be called - it said Male or Female.
Ya right, smirk, smirk.
That's ironic, I was thinking the same scenario about you. You don't realize how outnumbered you are.
I said ethical but I meant morally. Let’s see what the libs say to this. You all think this is opening but get ready because you will burn on the second coming that you are causing!
Wake up
What if you're Muslim 521? Or human?
All these hate-filled, single minded posts have something in common: a lack of understanding, grace, and unconditional love and acceptance. Tha God I believe in isn't a punitive God of the Old Testament. The only God I know sat with sinners healed the sick and never turned his back to anyone. The only thing burning up here 521 is you in your hate.
1234 has low awareness of life outside his or her self rightous deplorable bubble. I kinda begin losing hope for this country and mankind in general when I read such utter nonsense and then have to accept the fact that people like this provoke the worst in all of us but we have to tolerate their mental,emotional, intellectual, and character flaws regardless.
11:17 just curious does your church support same sex marriage?
There seems to be a lot of church’s being watered down to keep the pews full and offering plates full.
Narrow is the way…
Proudly 435, we embrace all people, transgender, cisgender, gay, bisexual, white, black brown. Are you a member of the hate church from wichita?
159. That's a BS response.
Dodged my question, Does your church support gay marriage? It’s either yes or no please answer.
Proudly, YES 804. Hope you're not going to stroke out over it. You might try checking your hate and insecurities at the door. They're going to burn you up one day.
4:35 Proudly more like Pridefully hmmm wonder what the Bible has to say about Pride
I'll try thus again, My church PROUDLY accepts all people and believes in gay marriage. And as I said before, 804,815, the only burning in anger is apparently you.
Might want to see what the Bible says about it.
Ephesians 5:25, which says "Husbands, love your wives
Titus 2:4, which says "teach the young women … to love their husbands"
I'll take my chances on this theoretical second coming that I'm not at all concerned about.
Post a Comment