Debate Over Biological Males in Women’s Sports in Colorado
A woman identifying as the mother of “two transgender sons” addressed the Colorado State Board of Education on November 11, arguing that prohibiting biological males from competing in women’s sports constitutes discrimination.
According to a report by the Denver Gazette, members of Colorado’s Douglas County School Board gathered to review proposals regarding charter school renewals and restrict biological males’ participation in girls’ sports before a more progressive majority assumes office. During the discussion, Bernstein suggested that those advocating for the policy might be sexist.
“I’m Brooke Bernstein. My pronouns are she, they, and I’m the president-elect of Douglas County Pride. I have two transgender sons, aged 23 and 25. I’m here to request that this proposed policy be evaluated. We found it to be, frankly, a poorly copied version of a policy from the 49th District, which seems to have been poorly understood from both a legal and prevention standpoint,” Bernstein expressed. “This is misleading. This is poor policy. I can’t support any policy like this.”
“First off, it’s assuming that boys are naturally superior to girls, which isn’t necessarily true. If they’re excluding trans men to protect girls, the underlying belief appears to be that if trans men compete in men’s sports, there’s no issue,” she continued. “There’s an inconsistency in that reasoning. Also, how do we approach this? Biological sex and chromosomal sex are different concepts and may be perceived in various ways. Are you really planning to tie sports participation to medical records? Are you equipped to safeguard those records under Colorado law and HIPAA? Is this the path you’re considering? I might have to send a letter.”
Shortly after President Trump took office on January 20, he signed an executive order affirming the “biological reality of sex,” which clarifies the definitions of man, woman, boy, and girl. Just weeks later, federal funding was restricted for schools allowing biological males identifying as transgender women to participate in women’s sports.
In related news, several college teams have opted out of matches against the San Jose State University women’s volleyball team in 2024 because of the presence of a biological male on their roster.
Peyton McNabb, a high school volleyball player from North Carolina, testified in April 2023 about her ongoing health issues after suffering a concussion from a spike by a transgender player during a game in September 2022.
