Tribune News Service

A pair of religious groups is rallying against a controversial policy on transgender student-athletes that goes before the Minnesota State High School League board Wednesday.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference and Minnesota Family Council say the proposal, which guides schools on how to clear transgender teens for competition, is unworkable for schools that for religious reasons do not support changes in gender identity. And they say the league has not explained the consequences for schools that do not comply.

"Those questions have gone unanswered," said Autumn Leva, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Family Council.

The groups will present a petition Wednesday as the MSHSL board discusses the policy during a workshop in Brooklyn Center. The policy, which is supported by the state's teachers union, is set for adoption Thursday.

Howard Voigt, a MSHSL spokesman, said some board members reported receiving more than 400 emails on the subject since Sunday, when the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune ran a full page ad from the Minnesota Child Protection League warning that the policy would allow boys to shower with girls.

"Initially, there was a significant amount of comments received both via voicemail and email, text messages, urging the board to reject the proposal," he said. "But (Tuesday) I think the shift has been to the other side. There's significant support from teachers and other organizations that deal with kids in the schools.

"The state teachers union is among those lining up in support of the plan. Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said school activities are good for kids, and the policy will direct schools on how to make their most vulnerable students comfortable on and around the playing field.

"A safe and welcoming environment for our students matters a lot, whether it's in schools or extracurriculars," she said.

The policy charges each school administrator or athletic director with determining whether a transgender student should compete with boys or girls. It suggests that in order to ensure a fair playing field, the administrator consider the student's size and skill, review medical records regarding hormones treatment or surgery, and seek input from the student's parents.

The records related to the review would be private, and the student could appeal the decision to the school, then the MSHSL, and finally an independent hearing officer.

The policy also advises that schools plan ahead to make reasonable locker room and bathroom accommodations for transgender student-athletes and educate those who will be in contact with the student to be sensitive.

Specht said school officials want direction from the league on what to do when a transgender student wants to participate in a sport or other extracurricular activity.

"We represent a lot of coaches, and coaches are really looking for guidance. They're looking for a policy and they're looking for some help," she said.

Leva said an earlier draft of the policy was more specific about what qualifies a transgender student to compete with and against boys or girls. The latest plan says schools should consider a range of things but leaves it up to the administrator's discretion.

"What we're hearing from athletic directors is, 'I don't want to be in the position to determine a student's gender.' ... I think it's placing a pretty heavy burden on our public and private school athletic directors," she said. "There's really no requirement or objective standard."

Leva said the belief systems at many private religious schools would not permit one of their students to change genders.

"They would not allow a student attending their school to act in such a manner, so are they going to face sanctions ... for not allowing that for their particular student?" she said.

Leva also said it's unclear what options teams or individual players will have if they don't want to compete against a transgender teen.

Beyond compliance questions, the Minnesota Catholic Conference petition raises concerns about fair play when a student-athlete who was born a boy is allowed to compete with girls.

OutFront Minnesota, the LGBT advocacy group, helped write the policy and has arranged for students and parents to speak in favor of it today. Executive Director Monica Meyer said the policy will protect transgender students from discrimination.

"The policy just acknowledges that there are trans youths in school," she said. "You should be able to (participate) no matter who you are."