Protesters Decry Threat to Sports Programs for Girls

Friday morning, as participants in the 6th Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium arrived at the headquarters of MSAA /MIAA in Franklin, they we re greeted by about 20 supporters of a 'Dad Fed Up' named Billy, who came from Western Massachusetts to express  his frustrations. The supporters included parents, at least one child, and others concerned about the shifting sands under long-established sports programs for girls.

The MSAA and MIAA are, respectively, Massachusetts School Administrators' Association and Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, and they have a lot to do with promulgating, interpreting, and enforcing rules around sports statewide.

On his web site, Billy explained, "Right now my oldest daughter is forced to compete with four males on her high school sports team.... Even more jaw-dropping, every parent at school either turns their head, buries it in the sand, or rallies on the blatant cheating. I'm not that type of parent. I complained to the school. The cowardly coach and athletic director made excuses and said it was out of their hands MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) made the rules, So I called MIAA and sent an email. No response. So I decided I would deliver my disgust in person."

Asked for comment on the demonstration, Jim Clark,  MIAA assistant director - communications, media and tournaments, provided the following statement:

 The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) supports all member schools andstudent-athletes as we strive to create an atmosphere that is welcoming for all participants. We respect and understand the ongoing discussion that is currently taking place on the national level and will continue to monitor those actions as they evolve. The MIAA continues to adhere to and comply with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Protection and support for transgender students must be adhered to at the state level. Massachusetts General Law c. 76, sec. 5 was originally enacted to protect students from discrimination based on sex, and was later expanded to protect students based on gender identification. As a result of this law, and consistent with the interpretive guidance offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, students are entitled to be accepted by their schools as the gender with which they identify across all school programs. This means that athletic opportunities must be afforded to students in accordance with their identified gender, not necessarily their birth-assigned gender. This is also supported by the Access to Equal Education Opportunity Regulations, 603 CMR 26.00, and Charter School Regulations, 603 CMR 1.00. In addition, a 1979 Massachusetts Supreme Court case (Attorney General v. MIAA) addressed equity in sports in Massachusetts.

(https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/supreme-court/1979/378-mass-…)

Further, In 2013, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issued a set of guidelines for public schools on the equal treatment of transgender students (see Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (February 15, 2013), available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/ssce/GenderIdentity.pdf).

The mission of the MIAA is to serve member schools and the maximum number of their students by providing leadership and support for the conduct of interscholastic athletics which will enrich the educational experiences of all participants.

About half-a-dozen individuals showed up to protest the protesters. The two groups mostly stayed separate but a few individuals crossed the street to talk with the others.

Franklin Police also kept an eye on the two groups until everyone dispersed at the end of the conference, around 2 pm.