Wisconsin parents raise concerns after trans athlete deals bruises in practice

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A group of Wisconsin parents are outraged over what could potentially be a transgender athlete participating in a girls’ sport at an area school, according to FOX 11 in Green Bay.

Parents said their daughters started coming home from summer games and practices with welts and bruises that they never noticed on their children before, the outlet reported Wednesday.

Though they declined to specify which sport and which school is involved in the dustup, citing confidentiality concerns, the school in focus belongs to the Green Bay Area Public School District. 

FOX 11 spoke to three sets of parents about the ordeal to get their reactions.

Each cited concerns over fairness and safety, particularly when it comes to biological males participating alongside biological women.

“They’re just not used to the ball coming at them that hard,” one parent, Ryan Gusick, said, adding, “A lot of these girls are specifically quitting this team because they’re concerned for their safety.

Heather Longlais, a concerned mom, told the outlet that the student under scrutiny has the “most power” out of all members on the team. 

Longlais said she isn’t opposed to trans students having a “seat at the table,” but added that the seat doesn’t need to be at the “girls’ table,” particularly referencing biological males transitioning to female.


People listen to speakers during a rally protesting lawmakers gathering to override Gov. Eric Holcomb's veto of HB1941, Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
People listen to speakers during a rally protesting lawmakers gathering to override Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of HB1941, May 24, 2022 at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.
Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK

Parents involved in the story said their daughters will not participate in the sport this fall if the athlete is allowed to participate going forward.

The district provided the following statement to FOX 11: “[The district] cares about the well-being of every student. All decisions regarding a student’s ability to participate in co-curricular athletics/activities are made in accordance with Title IX law, Board policy, and WIAA [Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association] regulations.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Green Bay Area Public School District for comment and was directed to the previous statement.


House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks as GOP women members hold an event before the vote to prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 20, 2023.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik speaks as GOP women members hold an event before the vote to prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity in Washington, DC, April 20, 2023.
AP

People hold signs reading "Trans women belong in womens sports! #TransWomenAreWomen" during a protest against House File 2416, a bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds which immediately prohibited transgender women and girls from competing in female sports offered by Iowa schools, colleges and universities, Friday, March 11, 2022, on the Pentacrest in Iowa City, Iowa.
People hold signs reading during a protest against House File 2416, a bill signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds which immediately prohibited transgender women and girls from competing in female sports offered by Iowa schools, colleges and universities, March 11, 2022, on the Pentacrest in Iowa City.
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

WIAA’s policy on transgender athletes focuses on “equity,” “physical safety” and “competitive equity,” and acknowledges that “biological males or androgen-supplemented biological females are typically stronger and faster than biological females,” according to a document outlining its standards.

The policy also states that “a student’s member school will be the point of contact for determining the student’s eligibility to participate in WIAA sponsored interscholastic athletics” and, for biological males transitioning to female, they “must have one calendar year of medically documented testosterone suppression therapy to be eligible to participate on a female team.”

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