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Department of Education says it will investigate MIAA over transgender athletes
The investigation into apparent Title IX violations stems from a viral incident last year where a trans student allegedly injured female athletes during a basketball game.
The U.S. Department of Education said it will investigate the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for apparent Title IX violations stemming from a incident involving a trans high schooler that made headlines last year.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “keeping men out of women’s sports” Wednesday, which threatened to defund programs that fail to comply with the order.
The order calls for the Department of Education to “prioritize Title IX enforcement” against educational institutions that require female students “to compete with or against or to appear unclothed before males.”
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In a statement Thursday, the department announced multiple Title IX investigations, including into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The organization, which serves 380 secondary schools and 220,000 athletes in the state, was one of three organizations targeted following a girls’s basketball game last year where a trans athlete allegedly injured multiple players.
In a statement, the MIAA confirmed that it was notified of the investigation.
“The MIAA has historically complied with all applicable federal and state laws,” the MIAA said.
“We are currently seeking guidance from the Office of the Attorney General and our own legal counsel on our next step. We are especially interested in determining this investigation’s impact on teams currently playing the winter season and on our upcoming tournaments.”
Trans student allegedly injured multiple players during game
In March, a coach for the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell girls’ basketball team forfeited a game against KIPP Academy in Lynn. The charter school claimed that two players were injured in plays involving a KIPP Academy student who is trans. A clip of the incident also sparked controversy online.
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At the time, the MIAA referred to their handbook that states a student “shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student’s bona fide gender identity.”
In its press release, the Department of Education referred to the trans student as a “male playing for the opposing female team” and said the student injured three players. It included a link to a Daily Mail tabloid article.
In a commentary post, the American Civil Liberties Union said excluding women who are trans hurts all women.”
“It invites gender policing that could subject any woman to invasive tests or accusations of being ‘too masculine’ or ‘too good’ at their sport to be a ‘real’ woman,” the ACLU said.
The department is also investigating San Jose State University and University of Pennsylvania for “apparent Title IX violations.”
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