Latest news with #VirginiaHighSchoolLeague
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia prepares to finalize transgender athlete restrictions
(Stock photo by) A heated fight over transgender athlete participation in Virginia schools is coming to a head this week, as state high school sports leaders prepare to finalize controversial new restrictions — despite mounting pressure from advocates urging them to reconsider. On Wednesday, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Executive Committee will meet for the first time since voting nearly two months ago to limit competition in girls' sports to students assigned female at birth, following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. Previously, VHSL policy allowed transgender students to compete on teams aligning with their gender identity, though under specific conditions. The expected would formalize changes to the league's handbook and policy manual. 'It is not too late for the Virginia High School League to find clarity and courage and to return to an inclusive policy that is sound, both ethically and legally,' said Auden Perino, senior counsel for LGBTQI+ equality at the National Women's Law Center. Perino said the February decision has caused 'emotional harm' to students and their families. While the change impacts only a small number of students, they emphasized that does not make the issue any less important. The push for the policy change has largely been driven by concerns around fair competition. In February, Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the committee's decision 'just common sense' after appearing alongside Trump when he signed the executive order threatening to cut federal funds for those that don't comply. 'Biological boys should not be competing against girls,' Youngkin wrote on social media. Victoria Cobb, president of the conservative group Family Foundation, said in a statement that it's 'high time' for the Virginia High School League to do right by girls and protect their safety. 'Participation in sports develops girls into confident leaders,' Cobb said. 'When girls step away from the arena because biological boys steal their titles and scholarships, everyone loses.' However, Perino also pointed out that the 'real threat' to high school sports is the chronic underfunding of women's athletics and the widespread, often unreported harassment and assault cases affecting athletes — issues the NWLC has been tracking for over 50 years. 'These are the real threats to girls involved in school sports,' Perino said. 'Obviously, trans youth are responsible for creating zero of these problems, and in fact, are harmed by all of them, just like cisgender youth.' Perino said if Virginians want to address and prevent sex discrimination in women's school sports, they should focus on these 'real and urgent threats where the gender justice movement has correctly maintained its focus, and we see from far right policymakers only a resounding silence on these topics and a truly creepy fixation on the bodies and lives of a few trans girls and women being scapegoated for political gain.' Other advocates in Virginia are objecting to the changes and hope the committee will reconsider the action taken in February. Some view the vote as a harmful message — one that affects not just transgender athletes but Virginia's broader reputation, undermining being 'fair,' 'inclusive,' and providing 'opportunity for everyone.' 'Our hope is that maybe there is a world where they would reverse and go back to the original policy, but if anything, we want to send a strong message to them that they've made the wrong decision,' said Narissa Rahaman, executive director for Equality Virginia, a LGBTQ rights advocacy group. 'This is impacting community members, and it's going to impact more than just transgender student athletes, who want to play.' Rahaman said the committee's February decision overturned a decade-long policy that was working, noting that the league had initially told the Richmond Times-Dispatch it did not plan to make any changes in January. Since the policy's establishment, Rahaman said, Virginia has allowed 42 transgender athletes to play on sports teams matching their identity over the past 10 years. During the last legislative session, bills proposing to require K-12 public schools and higher education institutions to label each sports team as either boys, girls, or coed — based on the biological sex of the players — failed in the General Assembly. Del. Delores Oates, R-Warren, and Sen. Tammy Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg, who carried the proposals, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'Protecting fairness and safety in girls' sports is a commonsense principle supported by the majority of Virginians,' Oates said in a statement to The Mercury. 'I commend the Virginia High School League for taking action to ensure female athletes compete on a level playing field. This is about preserving the gains made under Title IX — making sure girls have the same opportunities, scholarships, and team experiences that generations fought hard to secure. We stand with parents, coaches, and students who want to preserve those opportunities, and we will continue working to uphold them.' 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Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Washington Post
High school runner who struck opponent with baton faces misdemeanor charge
Alaila Everett, the high school runner who struck an opponent with her baton during a relay race, has been charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and battery in connection with the incident, which was captured on now-viral video. Everett, a senior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, was running the second leg of the 4x200-meter relay March 4 in the Virginia High School League Class 3 indoor championships when her baton struck Kaelen Tucker, a Brookville High School junior, in the head. Bethany Harrison, commonwealth's attorney for the city of Lynchburg, confirmed that Everett had been charged. The meet was held at Lynchburg's Liberty University.
Express Tribune
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Virginia high school student left with concussion after baton strike in track race, perpetrator insists it was an accident
Virginia high school student left with concussion after baton strike in track race, perpetrator insists it was an accident A disturbing incident during the Indoor Track State Championships on March 4 in Virginia has left one teen with a concussion after being struck in the head with a baton. The video, which went viral, shows Kaelen Tucker from Brookville High School being hit by her opponent, Alaila Everett of IC Norcom High School, during the 4x200 meter relay. The baton strike caused Tucker to stumble and fall to the ground. Medical examinations revealed she suffered a concussion and a possible skull fracture. Following the incident, IC Norcom High School was disqualified from the event. Tucker's mother, Tamarro Tucker, expressed frustration over the lack of an apology, stating that no one from the opposing team, including the athlete or coaches, reached out. Everett, however, defended her actions in an emotional interview, claiming the strike was an accident. She explained that their close proximity caused her baton to get stuck behind Tucker's back, leading to a loss of balance. "I would never hit somebody on purpose," she stated, stressing that the incident was unintentional. Everett also shared her distress over the backlash she faced on social media, including death threats and racist insults, after the video gained attention. The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has confirmed they are investigating the incident and have reaffirmed the disqualification of Everett's team, maintaining that the priority is player safety. Both Everett and her family continue to assert that she would never intentionally harm anyone, but the incident has sparked significant debate over the role of intent and accountability in youth sports.
Fox News
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Virginia's high school sports governing body to comply with Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' order
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) announced on Monday that its executive committee voted to bring its league in compliance with President Donald Trump's executive order "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." Trump signed the executive order this past Wednesday, fulfilling one of his main campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls and women's sports. The order was signed on Nationals Girls and Women in Sports Day, which celebrates females athletes in women's sports and those committed to providing equal access to sports for all females. The VHSL, which governs high school sports in the state, will comply with the executive order effective immediately. "The VHSL is an association comprising 318 member schools with more than 177,000 students participating yearly in sports and academic activities. The VHSL is the governing body, and our member schools look to and rely on the VHSL for policy and guidance. To that end, the VHSL will comply with the Executive Order," VHSL Executive Director John W. Haun said in a statement. "The compliance will provide membership clear and consistent direction." The statement also noted that the VHSL executive committee directed staff to immediately propose policy changes in the form of emergency legislation to comply with the executive order. Language will be adjusted in its policy manual soon. "This doesn't have to be long. It's all about common sense," Trump said before signing the order last week, adding that "Women's sports will be only for women." "The war on women's sports is over," he said. Since Trump signed the order, the NCAA has also officially banned trans athletes from participating in women's sports. Their announcement came one day after the signing, a quick response for the collegiate governing body. "A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women's team," the new policy reads. The policy does allow biological females to compete in men's sports. "The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes," NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. "We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard." Independent Women ambassadors Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Paula Scanlan, Sia Liilii, Lauren Miller, Kim Russell, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Linnea Saltz and Lily Mullens were present when Trump signed the executive order in the East Room of the White House. Gaines, who hosts OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast, was among those fighting for fairness in women's sports after being outspoken about her experience swimming against Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who won the women's NCAA Championships in 2022. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing before Trump signed the executive order that it "upholds the promise of Title IX." "President Trump pledged to restore common sense to our country, and he's continuing to deliver on that with an executive order that he will sign later today," she added. "The president will be signing an executive order, keeping men out of women's sports to defend the safety of athletes, protect competitive integrity and uphold the promise of Title IX." Leavitt also called upon the Senate to pass the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act, which the House sent through last month. The bill would ban biological males from participating on girls' school sports teams while also amending federal law to specify that student athletes must participate in school sports that coincide with their birth gender. Virginia voted blue in the 2024 presidential election, with 52.1% of votes going to former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump received 46.3% of the vote. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
VHSL bans transgender girls from playing girls' sports
VIRGINIA () — The Virginia High School League (VHSL) announced Monday that it would limit competition in girls' sports to students assigned female at birth. The is a reversal from its , during which it maintained that transgender girls would be allowed to participate in girls' high school sports teams. VHSL made the change to comply with President Donald Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' which he signed on Feb. 5. '[Trans women participating on these teams] is demeaning, unfair and dangerous to women and girls and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,' Trump wrote in the order. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Youngkin urges VHSL to follow executive order banning transgender women from women's high school sports teams The order restricts federal funding from programs that do not comply with the order, keeping those assigned male at birth from playing on girls' and women's sports teams. At the time of the order, VHSL's director of communications said, 'We have not seen or received anything regarding the Executive Order. We will continue following the current policy and the current law in Virginia.' However, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin made urging VHSL to follow the order. 'The Virginia High School League must change course immediately … Virginia schools are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal school funding if the VHSL doesn't comply with President [Trump]'s Executive Order protecting girls sports,' Youngkin wrote at the time, in part. As part of their announcement on Monday, Feb. 10, VHSL Executive Director Dr. John W. Haun stated, 'The VHSL is an association comprising 318 member schools with more than 177,000 students participating yearly in sports and academic activities. The VHSL is the governing body, and our member schools look to and rely on the VHSL for policy and guidance.' 'To that end, the VHSL will comply with the Executive Order. The compliance will provide membership clear and consistent direction,' he continued. The policy change would take effect immediately, VHSL noted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
