The recent vote by the Regional School Unit 73 board  (Jay) to exclude transgender athletes from sports was mean-spirited and unnecessary. This was unnecessary for three major reasons.

There are no transgender student athletes in Jay, and may never be. Transgender athletes represent one-hundredth of 1 percent of all high school athletes participating in sports in any given year. Contrary to concerns, there are no studies that indicate that transgender athletes present any risks to any other students through their participation in sports. Numerous studies confirm that these students do not have a competitive advantage that is attributable to their gender choice.

This was mean-spirited: the exclusion of transgender athletes from participation in mainstream programs in schools is destructive to their mental health, leading to depression and suicide risk. It also sends a terrible message to their peers. Students benefit from an inclusive atmosphere. Isolation serves no one.

Like the myths of welfare queens, immigrants sponging off our system and committing crimes, and others, this is scapegoating for political gain. National groups, such as Parents for Rights in Education, have seized on this as a political tool to gain access to school boards like ours and then move on to congressional races. This is right out of their playbook, and our board has become their willing pawns.

In the process, they have passed a rule that is illegal under state law, opening the district to expensive litigation, which will waste money far better spent on our students.

Steve Bien
Jay