If someone had told me that Santa Claus had been shot down in his sleigh by a drone last night, I’d probably have been more likely to believe it than this story in the New York Post this morning, but apparently, it’s true. The largest school board in Manhattan, covering the East Side, held a vote that could lead to a ban on boys “identifying” as girls participating in girls’ sports. Despite loud protests from the usual list of suspects, the measure passed by a significant margin. They don’t have the ability to implement such a sweeping ban on their own, but they will submit a demand to New York’s Department of Education to review the current policy that allows boys to compete against girls. The meeting was rife with contention and many speakers condemned the measure, but it still managed to pass on a vote of eight to three.
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, 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.
Speakers at the meeting mostly slammed the resolution.
The resolution also calls for deeper parental involvement in decisions regarding participation in girls’ sports. Of course, it may not result in any changes because the municipal Department of Education is already on the record supporting the current policy. But at least the conversation is taking root and many of the parents who understand how wrong and potentially dangerous the current policy is are finding their voices and overcoming their fear of being labeled as “transphobes.”
What’s truly disappointing is the scant number of people who showed up to speak out in favor of changing the policy. We know there are many families out there who feel that way and the school board has clearly heard from them and responded. But they mostly seem to have stayed at home. Meanwhile, the usual trans activists were out in force, carrying the same signs we regularly see and chanting about how awful it would be to recognize common sense and basic science.
Almost none of the people attending the meeting spoke out on behalf of the many female athletes in the country who have been seriously injured while being forced to compete against males dressed like females. Also mostly unmentioned were the actual girls who may not have suffered physical injuries, but were robbed of opportunities such as scholarships after diligently training and excelling in their chosen sports.
Unfortunately, this is still New York City we’re talking about. The majority of officials there are generally the first to jump on the bandwagon when a new leftist trend comes along. The DoE may indeed take up the demand for a review, but in all likelihood, they will simply reject the proposal and stick with the warped status quo we have today. But that situation may not hold indefinitely. It increasingly seems as if the tide is turning in the direction of common sense in this country when it comes to questions of transgenderism, particularly if it involves minors. And activists like Riley Gains are out there every day campaigning for the rights of real women and a restoration of the original intention of Title IX. Where hope remains, all is not lost.