Schools in Philadelphia will continue allowing transgender athletes to play in girls sports even after the state of Pennsylvania announced it would comply with President Donald Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order.
The School District of Philadelphia announced in a statement Tuesday it will continue following its previous policy that enables transgender inclusion.
“The district will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students,” the statement said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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The statement comes just a day after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) approved a revision to its policy that prevents trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. The new policy defers to principals to determine a student’s “sex” when “questioned or uncertain,” and adds a line that says, in accordance with Trump’s executive order, “schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order.”
Philadelphia’s refusal to comply with Trump’s order is the first known instance of a city defying its own state’s trans inclusion policy since Trump’s executive order went into effect.
In New York City, one education official spoke out against the state’s intent to defy Trump’s order. However, the city and state appear they will continue allowing trans athletes to compete.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) provided a statement to Fox News Digital saying it has advised schools to comply with current state law that allows trans athletes to compete with girls but is gathering public input before making a final decision.
But the director of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Office of Sports, Wellness and Recreation, Jasmine Ray, stated her position in favor of following Trump’s order on her Instagram story.
“To those asking about my position, as Director of NYC Sports & Rec, I stand with the recent executive order reinforcing the importance of fairness in women’s sports,” she wrote.
However, Ray later took down her story and said she deleted it at the “guidance” of the mayor’s chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack.
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With Pennsylvania trying to comply with Trump’s order but facing resistance from Philadelphia, other battleground states are also divided on the issue.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) announced last week it updated its policies to only allow athletes “designated as females at birth” to compete in girls sports. Wisconsin previously enabled trans inclusion in girls sports dating back to 2013.
Meanwhile, Michigan has not complied with Trump’s executive order and continues allowing trans athletes to compete in girls sports, but a bill has been introduced in the state legislature that would prevent trans inclusion in girls sports.
Four states are under investigation by Trump’s Department of Education for refusing to comply with the order — California, Massachusetts, Maine and Minnesota.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is warning those states to comply with federal antidiscrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women’s sports or face legal action, Fox News Digital reported Tuesday.
“This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law,” Bondi wrote. “Indeed, we have already begun to do so.”
Bondi was referring to the Justice Department’s move to sue Illinois and New York earlier in February for defying federal immigration laws.
“We also stand ready to sue states and state entities that defy federal antidiscrimination laws,” Bondi wrote.
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