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Boston Globe

Boys have been allowed to play on girls' teams at Mass. high schools since the 1970s. That's not fair.

Advertisement The Trump investigation specifically cited the Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up But investigators should also focus on boys who play on girls' teams, something that's been allowed in Massachusetts since the 1970s and that continues to affect competition. Earlier this year Somerset Berkley, another field hockey team with a male player, won the MIAA Division 2 State Championship — and the boy was named South Coast Conference MVP. If investigators do look beyond just issues of transgender participation, they might get a surprisingly positive reception. While Massachusetts has earned a reputation for resisting everything that comes out of the Trump White House, some residents feel the scrutiny on the state's rules is long overdue. Some of these rules take away valuable opportunities for women, like when the boy on Somerset Berkley won MVP this past season. 'That's taking away a possible collegiate scholarship,' said Katie Aubin, a Dighton-Rehoboth mom and School Committee member. 'Getting the MVP shows a lot in your credentials on applying for colleges and getting noticed.' After the field hockey injury during the game against Swampscott, Aubin proposed a policy that allowed players and/or coaches to opt out of games where the opposing team included members of the opposite sex. Dighton-Rehoboth went on to forfeit twice to Somerset this season. Advertisement Aubin was targeted for her effort, telling me she was described as 'homophobic, transphobic, a white supremacist.' But even in a progressive state like Massachusetts, her rule was adopted by the School Committee unanimously, 10-0, across party lines. Dighton-Rehoboth superintendent Bill Runey told me that in some cases, he suspects that the MIAA has violated Title IX, a civil rights law passed in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. Giving the example of males playing on field hockey teams, Runey believes that this is 'taking away playing time there, even in some cases, taking away roster spots,' adding that 'you could be talking about impacting somebody's ability to get a college scholarship. I see that as of course an inequity for females.' Runey said that this is far from a contentious stance in his community: 'I think that the majority of the folks in our community are going to be happy that this is at least going to be investigated.' The Trump administration's Department of Education said in a They gave an example from last February, when the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell decided to Advertisement This issue has become especially charged in Massachusetts, where bringing up difficult conversations about the inclusion of transgender athletes has been branded as transphobia by activist progressives. The Trump administration's drastic response was only to be expected after years of no debate and no efforts to find a nuanced solution. But taking steps to protect women's sports doesn't necessarily make you transphobic. Nor does it make you hateful. It's a matter of making decisions that in some cases prioritize the safety of women athletes and the fairness of competition over the inclusion of a tiny minority of athletes. Alex Hagerty, the president of the Greater Boston chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, an organization representing LGBTQ Republicans, believes that the public can be supportive of transgender people while also protecting women's sports. 'When the MIAA decided to be a little more lenient and to allow for transgender women playing in women's sports, I think it hurt the credibility of Title IX and the purpose of why Title IX was created.' Title IX, after all, was created to protect women's equal access to athletics and other educational resources. Attleboro mom and former collegiate softball player Alicia Cabral knows that the question of transgender athletes is complicated but believes that ultimately, protecting women's safety and upholding fair competition is most important. 'No one wants to make that harder for [transgender athletes],' she told me, 'but we also don't want to make it harder for our daughters.' Like her 13-year-old daughter, who practices sports seven days a week and has dreams of playing one of her favorite sports — softball, basketball, or soccer — in college. Advertisement Cabral will continue to advocate for her daughter and other female athletes. 'We're constantly struggling to make ourselves a place in the world,' she said. 'And the one place that a lot of females kind of get that satisfaction is through their sports.' Carine Hajjar is a Globe Opinion writer. She can be reached at