Trump-supporting Republican’s ‘cruel’ bill would sack teachers who let transgender kids play sport
Republican state Rep. Bruce Griffey,
A Republican in Tennessee has drafted a bill that would ban teachers from the profession for letting transgender kids play sports.
Under the bill submitted to the Tennessee General Assembly by state representative Bruce Griffey, schools and teachers would face harsh sanctions for accommodating transgender children of any age in any single-sex sports.
Teachers would be sacked for letting trans kids play sports.
The bill would force both elementary and secondary schools to ensure “that student athletes participate in school-sanctioned sports based on the student’s biological sex as indicated by the athlete’s original birth certificate issued at birth”.
It is unclear how exactly teachers would be expected to comply with the measure, as children are not typically expected to present an original copy of their birth certificate every time they want to play basketball.
However, under the plans teachers who are found to have permitted transgender people to take part in sports reflecting their actual gender will be immediately sacked and deemed “ineligible to hold public office or a position as a school administrator for five years”.
Republican state Rep. Bruce Griffey
They could also face fines of $10,000 and face legal action.
Schools found to have violated the policy by allowing any transgender student to take part in sports outside of their “biological sex” would also be deemed “ineligible to continue receiving state and local public funds” until they comply – meaning that cisgender girls would be forced to play sports against transgender boys.
Bruce Griffey: Campaigners attack ‘poorly written’ Republican anti-trans bill.
Bruce Griffey, a pro-Trump Republican, claims the bill is “not intended to demean, degrade or diminish anyone”.
However its measures have been branded “cruel” and “draconian” by LGBT+ campaigners.
Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project told The Hill: “The bill is an attack on transgender student athletes and the extreme penalties for school administrators and school districts are unprecedented.
“The provisions about birth certificates will prove unworkable for school districts. This is poorly written, cruel public policy.”
Sanders told WRAL the draconian nature of the proposal “shows there’s something more at work here than your run-of-the-mill, ‘We want fair competition.’ This is a level of animus at transgender students that is unprecedented.”
