Parents across the city are reacting after Manhattan’s Community Education Council (CEC) District 2 passed a resolution on Wednesday calling for a review of a NYC policy that allows transgender athletes in city schools to compete in girls’ sports, claiming it was created with no independent input.
The council, which covers parts of Downtown Manhattan, Midtown and the Upper East Side, passed Resolution 248 with an overwhelming 8-3 vote. It calls for the Department of Education (DOE) to review and reassess its guidelines on gender inclusion because of alleged concerns about “preserving and acknowledging” the progress female athletes have historically made to achieve sports equality in recent years.
Some council members say the guidelines, which were created in 2019, do not indicate whether the DOE consulted with female athletes, coaches, sports medicine doctors or other experts in athletics or childhood development.
“The guidelines were developed by the city’s first LGBTQ liaison and stakeholders who were already supportive of replacing sex with gender identity,” the resolution states.
But NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks supports the 2019 guidelines, which were originally drafted under the leadership of former schools chancellor Richard Carranza. According to Banks, the CEC resolution is based on “unfounded and misleading” information.
“It’s especially troubling because we know sports build self confidence and a sense of belonging, which is especially critical for this group of students,” the chancellor said. “Rather than excluding our trans students, we ought to be working together to wrap our arms around them. They need our love, encouragement, and support, not political attacks.”
What are New Yorkers saying about the resolution?
Chase Strangio, a District 2 parent and lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, was “heartbroken” upon learning about the resolution.
“I was heartbroken when I learned as a…
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