Manhattan’s largest school district has made a rather bold move given the current environment surrounding education in New York. On Wednesday, it passed a resolution that could ban biological males from competing in girls’ sports.
The decision was passed by an 8-3 vote by Community Education Council District 2 and has already ruffled some feathers.
Nevertheless, it is the right move when it comes to protecting female athletes.
Manhattan’s largest neighborhood school board district approved a resolution that could lead to a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports – despite sharp community backlash Wednesday night.
Community Education Council District 2 (CDC D2), which serves Manhattan from the Lower East Side to the Upper East Side, passed the controversial measure in an 8-3 vote that demands the city’s Department of Education allow a public review of its policy allowing transgender girls to play female sports.
The vote took place at the end of a contentious meeting in midtown Manhattan attended by City Council members, district parents and “Umbrella Academy” actor Elliot Page, who transitioned in 2020 and has been a strong supporter of trans youth.
Critics of the resolution slammed the measure, insinuating that it constituted discrimination against transgender children. New York City Council member Erik Bottcher argued against the resolution: “We are outraged that you’re considering a resolution targeting transgender girls and sports. It is utterly shocking that such a regressive and harmful resolution is being proposed in the school district in the middle of Manhattan.”
However, others touted the resolution, arguing that it would protect female athletes. Leonard Silvermann, president of CEC D2, highlighted a need for “a level playing field.”
Another councilmember argued,
If you want to force students to prove their biological sex in order to participate in a sport, you are asking an invasive -- a deeply intimate question about someone that they should not have to answer.
The resolution itself does not bar biological males suffering from gender dysphoria from participating in girls’ sports. It does, however, request a review of the state’s Department of Education policies and could lead to such an outcome.
This development signifies a growing demand for parental rights to be respected coming from local communities across the country.
While those who argue in favor of allowing males to participate in female sports claim it is about promoting inclusivity, they ignore the harm done to female athletes, whether it's the loss of championships and records they earned, or being subjected to male genitalia in the locker room, or actual physical injuries inflicted by "trans women." Indeed, there have been several reports of female athletes suffering injuries at the hands of transgender athletes.
Payton McNabb, a senior at Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, N.C., detailed for the first time the effects of the injury at a press conference Wednesday:
On Sept. 1, 2022, I was severely injured in a high school volleyball game by a transgender athlete on the opposing team. I suffered from a concussion and a neck injury that to this day I am still recovering from. Other injuries I still suffer from today include impaired vision, partial paralysis on my right side, constant headaches, as well as anxiety and depression.
Hopefully, the resolution will lead to a solution that protects female athletes in the school district. Given the fact that this is taking place in New York City, this might be an uphill battle. But if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere, right?
