This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation.
Following an incident where a Utah dad became belligerent at his high school-aged daughter’s recent junior varsity basketball game, alleging that a player on the opposing team was transgender, he has been banned from attending future games.
“I wasn’t born yesterday, I know that’s a boy!” the dad shouted at the principal.
Jeff Haney, spokesperson for Canyons School District, informed The Salt Lake Tribune that during a game on January 19, the dad in question was actively challenging the eligibility of a player, vocally expressing concerns based on his perception of the student-athlete’s gender.
The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, allegedly confronted the principals of both his daughter’s school and the opposing school after the incident. Both principals reassured him that every player on the court, including the 17-year-old girl in question, had met the eligibility requirements outlined by the Utah High School Athletics Association (UHSAA). UHSAA mandates that student-athletes provide a birth certificate to verify their gender, and for transgender students, proof of undergoing at least one year of hormone therapy is required.
“I wasn’t born yesterday, I know that’s a boy and you better be able to prove yourself because I am going to the top,” the man insisted after the game, according to one principal.
Haney said the man became so belligerent that he was asked to leave, and the principal of his daughter’s school banned him from future games. “We do not tolerate people coming into our community and our schools and harassing our student-athletes,” Haney said.
The incident on January 19 is the most recent case of parents challenging a student athlete’s gender in Utah since the passage of H.B. 11 in 2022. This law prohibits transgender girls in grades K–12 from participating in girls’ sports. However, the law is currently on hold due to a legal challenge initiated by the families of three transgender students. The legal proceedings are ongoing in court.
In 2022, the parents of two girls who secured second and third place in a Utah track event lodged complaints urging the Utah High School Athletics Association (UHSAA) to investigate the gender of the girl who claimed first place. David Spatafore, a spokesperson for UHSAA, disclosed that additional complaints had been received, asserting that the student did not “look feminine enough.” However, Spatafore clarified that upon investigation, it was found that the student had consistently identified as female since kindergarten.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, there have been additional similar incidents in Utah, but the Utah High School Athletics Association (UHSAA) has not disclosed the frequency or the specific number of such occurrences.
Marina Lowe, policy director at Equality Utah, commented that these incidents offer a glimpse into what might become more common, especially with the enactment of legislation that allows the public to pass judgment on individuals’ physical characteristics, determining whether they are deemed feminine or masculine enough to participate in certain spaces.
Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community have cautioned that transgender sports bans and bathroom bills may lead to policing people’s gender presentation. In some states, such as Idaho, sports bans have included requirements for genital examinations. This stipulation could subject students under investigation to unnecessary and invasive examinations.
“This doesn’t just harm the trans community. It really harms us all,” Lowe said. “Because once we get in the business of policing someone’s appearance… all of us are going to be subject to this sort of inquiry potentially.”
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