By TIM BARTO
Saving girls’ sports dominated public discussion at Thursday’s meeting of the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development. The meeting in Soldotna included time for public testimony and, while the comment period was open to all topics before the board, the vast majority of speakers focused on this one issue, and every single one of the approximately two dozen in-person testimonies spoke out in favor of saving girls’ sports for girls.
Prior to the meeting, approximately three dozen people, about 10 of whom were female high school athletes, gathered in front of the building to hold signs reading “Protect Girls Sports In Alaska.”
Honking car horns chirped approval from passing motorists, while parents, coaches, local church members, and other people who value girls’ sports, joined the athletes in waving signs and then headed inside to the meeting chamber to let their voices be heard.
After gaveling in and taking a private executive session, the Board opened the microphone to the approximately two dozen people who signed up to speak. There were three or four folks who addressed concerns about other issues, but calls to support true females from incursions into girls’ sports by biological males who consider themselves to be females dominated the comments.
Even a few of the people who were there to comment on other topics, including former State House Representative Ron Gillham, chimed in with a comment or two in support of the Board’s pending resolution.
The resolution supports the passage of regulations to provide a girls’ division with participation based on a student athlete’s sex a birth. Thus, only biological girls would be allowed to play girls’ competitive sports. It’s pretty simple, but it’s also bewildering that such measures need to be considered; unfortunately, that is the present state of society.
The radical left, in what seem to be an effort to do away with gender differences altogether, including such notions such as masculine and feminine, have convinced themselves that anyone can be any gender – or combination or absence of genders – that they feel at the moment. Biological science and the entirety of human civilization be damned. What matters is an agenda that melds sexuality into a fluid and, most importantly, a non-conforming conflagration that they hope will destroy any and all things upon which modern American society is based.
Following the in-person testimonies (all of which were in favor of protecting girls’ sports from biological male incursion), telephone testimonies were taken. During this part of the hearing, 10 or 12 callers had an opportunity to speak, and seven of them were in opposition to the resolution.
Those opposed included representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Education Association (NEA), a transgender church pastor (you read that correctly), a parent who is allowing her child to identify as transgender, a teacher and coach, and a graduate student. In lieu of a name, the transgender church pastor provided a quote from Gandalf (from Lord of the Rings). The teacher/coach denied that allowing transgender athletes would cause any issues in locker rooms or shared lodgings while traveling. The graduate student, after presenting his credentials in the manner in the self-aggrandizing manner in which graduate students like to introduce themselves, proceeded to inform the gathered masses that the desire to save girls’ sports for girls is based in white supremacy.
From those of us who support saving girls’ sports for girls, a thank you to the group of opposition callers is in order. Your affiliations and statements underscored many of the reasons we are now coalescing to speak up.
Those who spoke on behalf of keeping girls’ sports for girls included Sen. Shelley Hughes, who championed common sense legislation to save girls’ sports in 2022. Her bill came up short, but she is determined to make things right on this issue and make Alaska the 22nd state to ban biological males from stealing athletic opportunities from girls and young women. Rep. Justin Ruffridge, who co-chairs the House Education Committee and has expressed support for the Board’s resolution, attended but did not speak.
There were heartfelt statements made by all the in-person attendees, and all of them with respect and decorum, but the most inspirational appearances came from those female student-athletes, particularly a group of eight wrestlers.
It was encouraging to see them there and hear them speak so honestly, eloquently, and bravely about their firsthand experiences competing against guys prior to the formation of all-girls wrestling leagues.
These young ladies love their sport and work hard to hone their skills so they can compete fairly against other true-female athletes. They deserve to be heard and they deserve to be honored by the Board passing this resolution.
The board has decided to put the issue out for a 30-day comment period in advance of its July 26 meeting.
Tim Barto is Vice President of Alaska Family Council, which helped spread the word about the Board meeting. He and President Jim Minnery were thrilled with the turnout of people who care about girls’ sports, especially those brave student-athletes.
