Wisconsin parents raise concerns after trans athlete allegedly deals girls welts, bruises during practice
Parents said their daughters will not participate in the sport if the student is allowed to continue on the team this fall
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A group of Wisconsin parents are outraged over what could potentially be a transgender athlete participating in a girls' sport at an area school, according to FOX 11 in Green Bay.
Parents said their daughters started coming home from summer games and practices with welts and bruises that they never noticed on their children before, the outlet reported Wednesday.
Though they declined to specify which sport and which school is involved in the dustup, citing confidentiality concerns, the school in focus belongs to the Green Bay Area Public School District.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Advocates for girls' sports hold signs in support. (AP Photo/Samuel Metz)
FOX 11 spoke to three sets of parents about the ordeal to get their reactions. Each cited concerns over fairness and safety, particularly when it comes to biological males participating alongside biological women.
"They're just not used to the ball coming at them that hard," one parent, Ryan Gusick, said, adding, "A lot of these girls are specifically quitting this team because they're concerned for their safety.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Heather Longlais, a concerned mom, told the outlet that the student under scrutiny has the "most power" out of all members on the team.
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Protestors supporting trans-identifying minors. Transgender participation in sports has become a hot-button issue in recent years. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Longlais said she isn't opposed to trans students having a "seat at the table," but added that the seat doesn't need to be at the "girls' table," particularly referencing biological males transitioning to female.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parents involved in the story said their daughters will not participate in the sport this fall if the athlete is allowed to participate going forward.
The district provided the following statement to FOX 11: "[The district] cares about the well-being of every student. All decisions regarding a student's ability to participate in co-curricular athletics/activities are made in accordance with Title IX law, Board policy, and WIAA [Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association] regulations."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House GOP Members And Female Athletes Mark Passage Of The Protection Of Women And Girls In Sports Act (Chip Somodevilla)
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Green Bay Area Public School District for comment and was directed to the previous statement.
WIAA's policy on transgender athletes focuses on "equity," "physical safety" and "competitive equity," and acknowledges that "biological males or androgen-supplemented biological females are typically stronger and faster than biological females," according to a document outlining its standards.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The policy also states that "a student's member school will be the point of contact for determining the student's eligibility to participate in WIAA sponsored interscholastic athletics" and, for biological males transitioning to female, they "must have one calendar year of medically documented testosterone suppression therapy to be eligible to participate on a female team."
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