New Bill Would Allow Boys to Play on Girls Teams, Share “Facilities”
Sacramento, CA – Less than a week after California’s gay history mandate went into effect, a new pro-LGBT bill introduced last week promises to stir even more controversy.
AB 266, sponsored by Assemblyman and comedian Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), would require schools to allow students to participate on sports teams according to their “gender identity,” not their biological sex. This is no joke. That means that a boy who claims that he identifies as female would have the right to try out for the girls’ basketball team, potentially taking away an opportunity from a girl who might otherwise make the team. “This bill will potentially turn long established federal law that provides equal opportunities for boys and girls to participate in school athletics on its head,” said chief counsel Kevin Snider. But that’s not all. The bill also mandates access to opposite-sex “facilities,” apparently including locker rooms.
According to its text, “This bill would require that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
Critics say the implications of the bill are staggering. One such critic is Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which will be opposing the bill. “Those afflicted with Gender Identity Disorder need professional counseling and our compassion, not more mandates that do not serve the best interests of our children.”