Virginia athletics organization plans no changes to its policy for trans athletes
Virginia athletics organization plans no changes to its policy for trans athletes
The Associated Press
July 26, 2023, 7:05 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) The athletics sanctioning organization that oversees most high school sports in Virginia told schools this week it has no immediate plans to change its regulations governing the participation of transgender athletes despite Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkins
new guidance concerning trans students.
The Youngkin administrations
model policies say student participation in athletics should be determined by biological sex, rather than gender or gender identity, with reasonable modifications offered only to the extent required by law. ... But the Virginia High School Leagues executive director, John Billy Haun, told school leaders Monday he recommended the leagues existing policies, which allow transgender athletes to participate on teams that match their gender identity under certain conditions, not be changed.
As the VHSL fall sport season begins this week, I am recommending the League stay with the current policy which has served us well, Haun wrote in an advisory to school leaders. We certainly will respect the decision of any school division as they address their policies and will continue to review this matter as we move forward and the new school year begins.
Haun noted that when previous Democratic Gov. Ralph Northams administration first rolled out model policies for the treatment of transgender students in 2021, the leagues policy in place since 2014 similarly remained unchanged.
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Associated Press reporter John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.
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