Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office recently announced an agreement with the Dallas Independent School District to ensure the district is not violating state law by allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. This agreement came after Paxton requested records from the district in February following the release of a video showing a school district official explaining loopholes to a parent on how to get their biologically male child on a girls’ sports team through an altered birth certificate. The advisor in the video mentioned that Texas had not made a distinction between providing an original or updated birth certificate for school sport gender eligibility, and they were always refining their approach to finding loopholes.
In January, a similar loophole was highlighted in another video involving an Irving ISD official discussing changing the gender on a birth certificate to match the gender the student wishes to compete as in sports. In response to these videos, Paxton requested extensive documents from both Dallas ISD and Irving ISD in February and filed a legal petition in March to conduct depositions of key officials to ensure the districts were not violating Texas law by allowing biological males to participate in girls’ sports. The agreement with Dallas ISD is intended to prevent such loopholes from being exploited in the future and ensure compliance with the law.
Paxton emphasized that biological males have no place in girls’ sports and called on all school districts to fulfill their legal obligations to protect girls’ sports and prevent any attempts to circumvent Texas law. In June 2023, Texas enacted the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prohibits transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports and mandates that students can only compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate. The law only allows changes to birth certificates that correct clerical errors, ensuring that proper documentation is required for gender eligibility in school sports.
The push to enforce regulations on transgender athletes in school sports has become a contentious issue, with Paxton taking a strong stance on upholding the law and protecting the integrity of girls’ sports. The videos from Accuracy in Media raised concerns about potential misuse of loopholes to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports, prompting Paxton’s actions and calls for accountability from school districts. The agreement with Dallas ISD will serve as a model for other districts to follow in complying with state law and ensuring fairness and equity in school sports.
As the debate around transgenderism in sports continues to evolve, with implications for future elections and national discussions, the efforts of officials like Paxton to enforce laws that prioritize fairness and integrity in girls’ sports are likely to play a significant role in shaping policy and regulations moving forward. By holding schools accountable and preventing exploitation of loopholes, Paxton aims to uphold the principles of the Save Women’s Sports Act and maintain consistency in gender eligibility requirements for school athletes. The ongoing scrutiny of policies related to transgender athletes in sports reflects the broader societal conversations surrounding gender identity and athletic competition in schools.
