Utah judge pauses ban on transgender girls participating in school sports
SALT LAKE CITY – Transgender girls in Utah will be given the opportunity to participate in girls' sports as the school year begins, after a judge on Friday reversed a ban pending legal challenges from parents.
Instead of an outright ban, transgender girls will now be sent before a commission that will determine on a case-by-case basis if they can participate. Utah's Republican lawmakers created the commission in a law passed earlier this year as a fallback plan to be implemented in case of an injunction against the law.
Under the law, the panel will be allowed to ask for and assess the child's height and weight in making decisions about whether a transgender girl would have an unfair advantage.
The commission, which is set to be convened in the coming weeks, will include politically appointed experts from athletics and medicine.
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When proposed, the commission was criticized by advocates for transgender student-athletes — who worried they would feel targeted having their bodies measured — and proponents of an outright ban, who argued it didn't go far enough.
The commission is set to go into effect while the court weighs the legal challenge to the outright ban. Members have not yet been appointed but will be in the coming weeks, legislative leaders said.
The state's association overseeing more than 80,000 students playing high school sports has said only one transgender girl competed in their leagues last year and, with school sports already underway, it's unclear how many will go before the commission and when its decisions will take effect.
Utah's ruling marked the latest court development in a nationwide debate over how to navigate the flashpoint issue.