Latest news with #UniversityInterscholasticLeague
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jamey Harrison named next UIL executive director
The University Interscholastic League named Jamey Harrison as the organization's next executive director Monday. Harrison, who has been the UIL's deputy executive director since 2011, will replace the retiring Charles Breithaupt. In a press release, the UIL credited Harrison for his "key role" in areas such as competitive equity, the addition of Class 6A and the playoff split for team sports that was implemented this school year. The UIL added Harrison aided the biennial realignment by "advancing technology and mapping software." Harrison was also vital in navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, the release said. More: Texas high school basketball coaches weigh in on UIL's split division playoff format More: 45 Lubbock-area high school baseball players to watch in 2025 season More: Big Country's high school baseball, softball top performers (March 17-23) "I am deeply honored to step into this role and continue serving Texas students and schools through the UIL," Harrison said. "The opportunities UIL provides go beyond competition — they shape character, unite communities and create lifelong memories. I look forward to building on this legacy while preserving what makes UIL great." Harrison will officially begin in the capacity April 1. Breithaupt, who became UIL executive director in 2009, will retire Aug. 31. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: UIL names Jamey Harrison as next executive director
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If passed, Texas bill could charge transgender people with 'gender identity fraud'
A bill proposed in the Texas legislature could charge transgender Texans with a state felony if they commit what proponents call 'gender identity fraud.' Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson, who represents a part of Houston in District 130, introduced House Bill 3817. If passed, it would amend the Texas Penal Code to add a new form of fraud related to gender identity. According to the bill, a person would commit "gender identity fraud" if they "knowingly make a false or misleading verbal or written statement to a governmental entity or the person's employer by identifying the person's biological sex as the opposite of the biological sex assigned to the person at birth." The penalty if someone were to commit "gender identity fraud" would be a state felony, which could land a person in jail for up to two years and a $10,000 fine. The bill is not expected to pass, according to the Texas Legislature tracker, as it has no co-sponsors and has not moved to any committees. Oliverson did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Monday. HB 3817, if passed, would essentially ban transgender people in the state from sharing their gender identity with employers, but could also apply to interactions with police or applications for government benefits. This latest proposed bill is not the only anti-transgender policy in the state. Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into the Hutto school district for allegedly violating a 2021 state law that bans students from competing in sports teams that don't align with their sex assigned at birth. Hutto joins a growing list of Texas schools to undergo such an investigation. Paxton has also issued an opinion stating that public school students taking steroids as part of gender-affirming care would no longer be allowed to participate in University Interscholastic League (UIL) sports. Students suspected of taking steroids for such purpose would be barred from participating in athletic competitions until an investigation is concluded. People are also reading: Employee refused to remove pronouns from email signature. A Texas agency fired him for it. In August 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety ordered its employees to stop allowing transgender people to change their gender on their driver's licenses and state IDs. 'The Department of Public Safety has a responsibility, as stated in its own name, to keep all Texans safe. This policy does the opposite,' the ACLU said of the change. 'Not having accurate driver's licenses jeopardizes trans people's health and safety — by potentially outing us and exposing us to discrimination, harassment, and violence.' Then less than a month later, the state stopped allowing people to change the sex listed on their birth certificates, according to the Texas Tribune. With the 89th Texas Legislative Session underway since early January, almost 100 anti-trans bills have been filed so far, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. The number has already surpassed the 69 anti-trans bills filed during the last legislative session in 2023. Oliverson himself has been a key sponsor of another anti-trans bill in the Texas legislature before. During the 2023 legislative session, he was a sponsor of Senate Bill 14, which banned gender-affirming care in the state and was upheld by the state Supreme Court. — USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas anti-trans bill would charge people with 'gender identity fraud'
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas students taking steroids for gender-affirming care ineligible for UIL sports: Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion Thursday outlining that public school students taking steroids to undergo gender-affirming care would be ineligible to participate in University Interscholastic League sports, and students suspected of taking steroids for such purpose would be barred from participating in athletic competitions until an investigation is concluded. Paxton issued the opinion at the request of Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, who reached out for guidance after 'receiving several complaints' about a student possibly taking testosterone to undergo gender-affirming care, according to the opinion. UIL prohibits students competing in athletic events from using steroids and requires them to agree to randomized tests, but it does make exceptions for a 'valid medical purpose,' Paxton said in the opinion. A student's gender-transitioning treatment can't be a valid purpose since such care is prohibited under Texas law, Paxton said. The UIL is the governing body for student athletic, fine arts and academic competitions in public schools. In 2023, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 14, which banned certain gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender children in Texas. The state law prohibits doctors from providing gender-affirming medical treatments — including puberty blockers, hormone therapy or certain surgeries — to minors experiencing gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person's gender identity does not align with their sex at birth. 'Ultimately, the illegal provision of steroids to a child — conduct that would independently justify liability and revocation of one's medical license — cannot constitute a 'valid medical purpose,'' Paxton said in the letter. Paxton also tells Morath that the UIL should question the eligibility of a student who is suspected of using steroids for the purposes of transitioning and that such suspected use 'obligates UIL to investigate as well as require the student-athlete to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that they are eligible.' In October and November, Paxton sued three doctors after accusing them of violating the SB 14 ban on providing gender-affirming care to minors. On Tuesday, Paxton announced he'd entered agreements with two of the doctors to stop them from practicing medicine temporarily while the litigation continues and had obtained an injunction for a third to prevent the doctor from providing gender-affirming care to children. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas trans athletes taking steroids ineligible to play UIL sports
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rival School Mariachi Groups Join Forces for Impromptu Performance at Burger Joint
Patrons and staff at a fast-food restaurant in Refugio, Texas, were treated to an impromptu performance from two rival school mariachi groups when they both stopped there to eat after taking part in a regional competition. This footage was captured by music teacher Erin Ruth Lara, who said that after participating in a University Interscholastic League competition, students in the Klein Collins High School mariachi group stopped off at a Whataburger, where they unexpectedly ran into their counterparts from Sam Houston High School. 'The meeting up of both mariachis was unplanned, and when we told the students to go grab their instruments, the rest became history,' Lara told Storyful. This footage shows the bands performing the mariachi standard El Son de la Negra at a Whataburger. Credit: Erin Ruth Lara via Storyful De mis pesares Chica de mis pesares Otro otro papel volando y digas Cuando a mi por mi aqu con pozo de tierra que mi cuando me trata a m aqu con su reboso que
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rival School Mariachi Groups Join Forces for Impromptu Performance at Burger Joint
Patrons and staff at a fast-food restaurant in Refugio, Texas, were treated to an impromptu performance from two rival school mariachi groups when they both stopped there to eat after taking part in a regional competition. This footage was captured by music teacher Erin Ruth Lara, who said that after participating in a University Interscholastic League competition, students in the Klein Collins High School mariachi group stopped off at a Whataburger, where they unexpectedly ran into their counterparts from Sam Houston High School. 'The meeting up of both mariachis was unplanned, and when we told the students to go grab their instruments, the rest became history,' Lara told Storyful. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. This footage shows the bands performing the mariachi standard El Son de la Negra at a Whataburger. Credit: Erin Ruth Lara via Storyful De mis pesares Chica de mis pesares Otro otro papel volando y digas Cuando a mi por mi aqu con pozo de tierra que mi cuando me trata a m aqu con su reboso que
