The Jefferson County Council has passed a resolution that declares the county “a strong supporter and promoter” of a recently passed state law that bans transgender females from playing on athletic teams designated for biological females.
The vote was 5-0, with council members Shannon Otto (District 3, Arnold) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) absent.
Resolutions passed by the council do not have the force of law.
Gov. Mike Parson, who pushed for the General Assembly to pass the law, signed it on June 7. It takes effect Aug. 28.
The law prohibits public schools, private schools, charter schools and public and private universities from allowing students “to compete in an athletic competition that is designated for the biological sex opposite to the student’s biological sex as stated on the student’s official birth certificate.”
Schools found in violation of the law risk losing state funding.
Supporters of the law said they were trying to “protect women’s sports.”
That’s the sentiment echoed by the council resolution’s sponsor, Brian Haskins (District 1, High Ridge), whose daughter, Sarah, competed in the triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal in the event at the 2011 Pan-American Games.
A Parkway South High School graduate, Sarah Haskins earned an athletic scholarship for cross country and track to the University of Tulsa.
“The reason I happily brought this forward is, as the father of two daughters and the grandfather of four girls, my oldest daughter, Sarah, would never have gotten a scholarship to go to Tulsa, never had the ability to go to the Olympic Training Center and never been able to represent our country in the Pan-American Games, where she won gold – and as amazing as that is – if she would have had to compete at any level against a male. It’s not fair, and I think we can all agree that men should compete against men.”
While the resolution carries no force, Seek, who spoke in favor of it during a discussion at the council’s July 10 meeting, said it will give local school boards a direction.
“All politics are local politics,” he said. “We need to support our school boards. They look to the state for their information, but they also need to hear it from us for support. Local people on our school boards need to look to their local leaders and say, ‘This is what we want to do.’”
After the resolution was approved, Haskins agreed.
“I think this was important for people in local leadership positions,” he said. “I think it will be easier for our local school boards to do what they need to if they know that we support that very important position of protecting our children.”