From time to time I am contacted by individuals who have problems, concerns, or simply questions about something that is happening in the city. Sometimes I can direct them to a person, such as an alderperson or department head, who could better help them deal with their issue, and sometimes I either know or can look up the answer to their question.
Earlier this year, I was contacted by someone who was confused about a situation they and their child had experienced while participating in one of the Appleton Parks and Recreation youth sports leagues. Although the leagues were divided into boys and girls teams, there appeared to be a boy playing on one of the girls teams and also utilizing the female restroom facilities. This person was confused about what Appleton’s policy was regarding this.
My assumption was that this question could be easily answered in 10 minutes by going to the Appleton Parks and Recreation website. I expected to find some sort of policy document that (a) made it clear to the public that the leagues were gender-based leagues not sex-based leagues and (b) outlined any sort of relevant practices or expectations related to this fact. I was, therefore, surprised to discover that there was nothing posted on the Parks and Recreation website stating that these were gender-based leagues not sex-based leagues, nor did I find any policy documents that seemed to address any of these issues.
I emailed Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Director Dean Gazza and asked him if the Parks and Recreation department had a policy regarding biological males playing on sports teams for biological females and under what circumstances would a boy be allowed to sign up for a program designated for girls.He emailed back and stated, “Parks and Recreation does not have a policy regarding transgender youth in sports.”
I then responded by explaining the information I had been told, that over the summer a biological boy had been playing on one of the girls sports teams and had been using the female restroom facilities. I asked Director Gazza again what the department’s policy was regarding transgender youth in sports and when that policy had been discussed and voted on by the Common Council.
He did not respond.
After a week of waiting, I contacted Common Council President Matt Reed (District 8) and asked him if he could find out the answer to those two question. I also had several other questions I hoped he would be able to find the answer for which were…
- Why does the Parks and Recreation website and associated literature not make it clear that biological males can play on the female teams (and presumably that biological females can play on the male teams)?
- Why does a policy about this not exist?
- Why, in the absence of a policy, did the Parks and Rec department allow a biological male to play on a girls team?
- Why was the fact that the leagues are apparently open to members of the opposite sex not brought to the Parks and Recreation Committee as either an information or action item?
Alderperson Reed responded, “In speaking with Director Gazza, it was explained to me that no one with the city, including the individuals overseeing the softball leagues, were aware, or have been made aware, of this instance actually having taken place. There is no city transgender policy or plans to create one at this time.”
I had to go through several more rounds of emails with Director Gazza in order to find out, in the absence of a written policy, what the unwritten policy was. He finally stated, “The City of Appleton does not discriminate and if a youth identifies as a girl then they would play on the girls team. Same would be for someone who identifies as a boy, they then would be allowed to play on the boys team.”
I then asked him if there was any sort of vetting that takes place or if it was just assumed that if a person signed up for a specific league that that was the league that person belonged to.
Director Gazza answered, “We do not discriminate and as noted previously we do not have a policy.”
I also asked Director Gazza two additional questions.
- What is the Parks and Rec Department doing to make sure that both transgender program participants and biologically female program participants have access to changing facilities and restrooms where they feel safe and comfortable?
- Does the Parks and Recreation Department have any plans to make it clear on your website and in your literature that the city leagues are gender based leagues and not sex based leagues?
He answered those questions by saying, “1. Restrooms are provided for all persons requiring their use. 2. We do not have a policy nor do we discriminate against any person.”
The above is my recounting of my exchanges with Director Gazza. Below are my thoughts about this.
I fully expected to go onto the Parks and Recreation website and see it plainly stated that the leagues were open to transgender individuals. I do not think the public is well served by not having this information publicly and readily available. For a trans person, that information would let them know that Appleton’s Park and Recreation programming will serve them well. For people who prefer to play on sex-based leagues, that information would let them know that they either need to change their expectations of the program or look elsewhere for a league to play in.
It also surprises me greatly that this unwritten policy was never brought before a committee or the Common Council to be publicly voted on and made official. The city has created and updated a multitude of policies over the years, and it holds 6-month trials before it removes stop signs or allows for the installation of parklets. During the most recent Municipal Services Committee, alderpersons discussed the benefit of being open and transparent with residents and expressed a desire to improve the city’s procedures regarding notifications of speed limit changes. I suspect that having mixed-sex sports leagues is of at least as much interest to the public as speed limit changes.
I’m also surprised that the city didn’t hold some sort of observational period in which members of the public could give feedback and city staff could see how these changes to the leagues worked out, judge the benefits, and see what if any problems arose. The mixed-sex use of restroom facilities is the concern that I was made aware of, and it would be nice to see if, with some thought and creativity, city staff could come up with a solution that served everyone.
Finally, I do think it bears noting that, right now, in the absence of an actual considered and written out policy, it seems that the result is not that the leagues are gender-based and open to anyone who identifies as a specific gender but, rather, for all practical purposes, are mixed sex. Based on Director Gazza’s emails to me, it seems that the city is not doing any sort of vetting and instead will allow anyone to sign up for any team they want. Yes, a biological girl who identifies as a boy could sign up for the boys team, but it doesn’t sound like the city would prevent a biological girl who identifies as a girl from signing up for the boys team either. The same goes for biological boys on girls teams. Perhaps that is as it should be.
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