The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is officially supporting a proposed statewide rule that would bar trans girls from women’s high school sports, per a resolution passed at its meeting Tuesday night. The resolution had support from most of the assembly and many members of the public, though some questioned its message and relevance.
The resolution does not make any changes to borough or school district code. But it does back a rule, advanced at a statewide school board meeting in Soldotna last month, that would bar transgender girls from competing in high school girls’ sports, and only allow girls assigned female at birth to compete. The rule would create a new division for students that “identify with either sex or gender.”
That proposed rule is open to public comment through July 26, when the state board could vote on whether to adopt the rule.
Kenai Assembly Member Richard Derkevorkian introduced the resolution in support of that rule. By the time it reached the assembly for a vote Tuesday night, the resolution had almost half a dozen sponsors, including the borough mayor and member Tyson Cox.
“Girls have worked very hard to have these teams, and to have their own teams, and to be able to play competitively,” Cox said.
Nationally, bans like the one on the table in Alaska have been part of a broader trend to restrict the rights of trans kids and adults.
At the assembly meeting, many speakers, including Dennis Murray, insisted their support was about fairness in school sports.
“This is about fairness, and safety, and I think that girls should have a chance to compete against girls,” he said.
Spoken and written public comment leaned in support of the resolution. But some of those who testified said it was a non-issue — or that it was creating one out of nothing.
Zen Kelly, a member of the school board, said the resolution harms a segment of the student population.
“This isn’t merely a fear-based solution to a nonexistent problem, it is the problem,” he said.
Board of Education President Debbie Cary questioned why the assembly was weighing in on a school related issue without notifying the district, and said the district is weighing in on more pressing issues, like funding, staff retention and learning loss.
Michelle Vasquez, speaking against the resolution, said only one trans girl has competed in high school athletics in the state.
“This seems to be a solution in search of a problem, and I don’t get the necessity of it,” she said.
Vasquez also encouraged the assembly to think about the message the resolution would send to trans students, who have disproportionately high suicide rates.
Assembly President Brent Johnson, who said he has a trans child, said the mental health struggles among trans youth are no joke. But he ultimately supported the resolution, citing fairness.
The resolution passed 6-2 with one absence. It will now be transmitted to the governor, the statewide board of education, the Kenai Peninsula Board of Education and other groups.
