The Alaska House on Saturday ran a marathon session, forced by the minority Democrats, who moved amendment after amendment on a bill that is designed to protect female competitive athletes in Alaska’s public schools and universities.
The Democrats made 88 amendments in all, carefully coordinated in caucus and designed to delay the passage of House Bill 183. Each amendment had at least six Democrats standing to speak in support of it to wear out the Republican majority. The amendment sponsor had three minutes to present, and three minutes to wrap up, and each member who rose had one minute to argue.
Even with that structure, it was going to take all day, and lawmakers were cranky.
One amendment was to exempt competitive chess tournaments from the proposed law that would protect girls in sports. Then came the amendment to exempt synchronized swimming teams from the protections for girl athletes.
On the chess amendment, Rep. Rebecca Himschoot of Sitka said she would vote for the bill because she had seen the movie, “The Queen’s Gambit,” on Netflix, and it made her realize how important chess is. Himschoot was a public school teacher in Sitka and Hawaii, teaching science.
On the synchronized swimming amendment, Rep. Donna Mears said she was a synchronized swimmer once and she got a concussion from the sport. But despite the brain injury, she supports males being able to be on these competitive teams with females.
One amendment was to create a “transgender awareness day” in schools and force a curriculum addition on notable transgenders in history.
Another amendment addressed “hate crimes” against transgenders.
Yet another amendment would have made the NCAA policy the standard by which Alaska schools would follow. The NCAA policy is being challenged in court by former NCAA champion swimmer Riley Gaines, who now fights for the rights of women athletes.
At one point in the proceedings, House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage threatened House Speaker Cathy Tilton, saying she would reap the consequences for years to come. After an extended at-ease, he apologized for the threat.
Also acting out in the House was Rep. Zack Fields, who petulantly broke the rules by interrupting the House Speaker, speaking on and on after he was past time, continuing to argue even though his mic had been shut off, and showing other disrespect to the institution by reading passages without first asking permission from the Speaker.
Rep. Daniel Ortiz, who is not an admitted Democrat but has only caucused with the Democrats since taking office, stood to ask for an indefinite delay of the bill. He said that if the House got through all its other business it could return to the topic. It was a lie perhaps he hoped tired Republicans would fall for, but Rep. David Eastman called him out on it, saying that by the rules, an indefinite postponement meant the bill could not be brought back up. That amendment, like all the others, failed.
While some Democrats pointed out that House Bill 183, sponsored by Rep. Jamie Allard, was a solution in search of a problem, Rep. Josephson admitted on the floor that a transgender track runner in Haines competed competitively in the girls’ division, the one instance in state history where he said this issue mattered. That occurred in 2016. Since it was the only case Josephson knew of, he stated it was the only instance, and therefore the bill is unnecessary.
However, with increasing frequency transgenders have started taking away medals from women on the national level in swimming, track and field, cyclocross, tennis, skiing, and a growing list of sports, as boys and men who cannot win in their own category switch to the female roster, even after they have gone through male puberty and have the musculature to prove it. In Alaska, the Alaska School Activities Association at first left the matter up the the schools, but now even the ASAA and the Alaska School Board have had to set boundaries in order to protect girls from boys who covet their medals and scholarships.
Although these are policies and regulations, the Democrats in the House don’t want the protections for girls to be in statute, and fought through the day and late into the night against the rights of girls.
The matter was finally referred to Sunday’s House calendar for a third reading and vote. Both sides — Democrats and Republicans — were worn out by the end of the debate.
But what Republicans got was hours and hours of Democrats on tape saying what they really think, such as Rep. Andrew Gray insisting that “trans girls are girls,” and Rep. Genevieve Mina suggesting that mixed martial arts should be co-ed if the athletes are of the same weight.
Rep. Sara Hannan, a former Juneau teacher, authoritatively talked about zygotes, and how all humans start out as females for the first several weeks before the testosterone turns some into males.
“The question is are we all transgender or just the men?” Hannan asked the body.
Rep. Himschoot and Rep. Fields falsely said the bill would force teachers to do genital inspections.
“I would be very uncomfortable doing a genital inspection,” said Himschoot.
Rep. Jennie Armstrong said transgenderism is an immutable characteristic, but later Rep. Mina said that children explore their gender identity.
At times the Democrats referred to girls as girls, and at other times they used the slur “cisgender girls.” It’s all on record for posterity — and election cycles to come.
“But despite the brain injury, she supports males being able to be on these competitive teams with females.”
I would change “despite” to “because of”, but maybe that’s just me.
Also, I wondered if anyone remembered the boy in Haines who competed against girls.
Thank you for bringing it up, because although I remembered it and it’s been on my mind as we watch this fiasco unfolding in Juneau, I only remembered that it happened years ago but not how many years ago.
Democrats are absolutely determined to win this war on women and girls, and we must all stand together in defeating their creepy and perverted ideas.
These unhinged Dems seem quite obsessed and ‘trans-fixed’ on this issue, when in fact there’s really so much more important issues to resolve. Kinda makes one think they’re intentionally diverting focus so that something else in the background can slide-by with no one noticing?
Regardless …
WOMENS // GIRLS SPORTS
“Is not a substitute league for inferior boys and/or men.”
All of us men should join girls sports and make sure to play against the pretend girls at every event.
Remember boys we need to play at maximum levels to compete.
Brilliant!
I think “D” no longer stands for “Democrat” but stands for “Dumb”. I have never heard so much illogic and grasping at any straw. Not only do they twist facts to suit their agenda but they also twist science. It is so ludicrous it would be hilarious if they were “Dead” serious, and Dead to facts and common sense for sure.
Good headline Suzanne. Add, “anti woman” to the list of things Democrats stand for.
Donning my liberal logic hat, I must offer a solution: Women and girls, those born this way, you just need to work and train harder. Transgenderism isn’t going anywhere so you can either accept defeat or concentrate on being better.
Notice that the “nonpartisan” permanent staff lawyers at leg legal are coordinating with the Democrats to push this radical/degenerate crap.
A Democrat admitting to a brain injury. Something everybody already knows by virtue of them being Democrats.
Sick of these people yet?
We need to push back way harder.
No special rights for sexual deviants.
This is really humiliating to me. I can’t believe… Ortiz is a former teacher as well. These people cannot think through the consequences of taking this stand? They imagine female sports dominated by post-males? They imagine men walking into female dressing rooms?
If I was to argue for trans rights I would argue for their own sports and their own change-rooms. But I think, deep down these people know it’s a loser idea to force equity this way and they truly hate transgender people and they prove it by sabotaging the movement with lame arguments.
I think smokers should be allowed to smoke at any time so I’m going to argue to let them smoke on planes (again) it’s a violation of their rights not to. Instead of building them a place outside the terminal where they are welcome to identify as smokers.
You five dems get a F for failing to make a clear statement in your arguments.
Your logic is more than a bit flawed friend. And your smoker equivalence is worse – no one is allergic to trans people, though sometimes their behavior can get out of control. Try not to redefine hate. I’m allergic to tobacco – you let cancer sticks or vapes or whatever tobacco product on airplanes and I’m denied the right to travel by air unless I buy my own… No one is allergic to trannies. – Transgender “rights” are an invention that is rather illogical – ‘rights” that their advocates have defined and determined without input from anyone else. Those “rights” harm the rights of others. No accommodation short of complete surrender to the demands of transgenderism will satisfy them. Your idea (many others too) that trannies can compete and use their own facilities and sports leagues works well, as long as they don’t demand we pay for it.
Ok, April 1 makes sense for trans day.
Hard to have a war if one side doesn’t show up.
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Looks like it’s past time for parents and girls to decide what matters most to them, and stick to their choice, politician-perverts and mutant males be damned.
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Why not leave publicly funded sports programs to the mutant males, let them self destruct?
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Sure and it means tons of bake sales, car washes, fundraisers, private sponsors, public-service announcements, lots of extra work, learning “Star Spangled Banner” verses, pre-game prayers
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… plus getting used to the idea of girls only sports for the love of sports, leagues of their own, no mutant males, no politician-perverts.
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Remind again why American girls can’t do this?
because there will always be some un-neutered malw trying to butt in just to be a jerk and try to get attention.
It’s an aggravation, un-neutered males trying to butt in just to be jerks and trying to get attention.
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Bottom line is it won’t happen if American girls (and boys and parents) don’t allow it to happen.
I would like to know where Senator Wilson stands on the subject for district N. Senator Wilson interested in protecting our daughters wives and women of our community?
Let this be the issue that turns Alaskans against the Democrat Party.
Democrats hate women. That’s why they declared war on them.
Speaker Tilton, your own behavior, along with a large group of republicans, has encouraged this outlandish behavior by your total, outright disrespect for certain house members through out this term so far. The republicans are no better than those democrats. The whole house is a lost cause.
Calvin Schrage should be thrown out! How dare he threaten the speaker!
Absolute insanity in Juneau. Move the legislative session to the road system somewhere between Homer and Fairbanks. I’d love too attend these sessions and let my voice be heard.
How about this. Biological males should show the courage of their convictions and have their male junk removed and have been on female replacement hormones for at least a year before they are allowed to play on girls teams or join girls clubs or use girls showers/restrooms. If they haven’t had their junk removed, then they are just desperate for attention and wanting to be loser jerks.
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