- A transgender student who played on the women’s volleyball team has been banned from playing the sport in high school
- Monarch High School was also fined $16,500 for violating state law
- The student’s involvement remains under investigation
A transgender student has been banned from all high school sports after competing on the girls’ volleyball team in violation of state law, the Florida High School Athletic Association has ruled.
A letter to the interim school principal also revealed that the association had fined Monarch High School $16,500 for the violation.
The fine reflects a penalty of $500 per match for the 33 matches in which the anonymous student participated, according to the association.
“So now we are penalizing student-athletes and wasting money on fines that could be used to support our schools and students?” said Jennifer Solomon of Equality Florida, an LGBT advocacy group.
The student’s participation in the team led to four school administrations being placed on leave. The law signed by Ron DeSantis requires athletes to participate on teams of their birth gender.
The student was banned from playing on any of the federation’s sports teams until November 20, 2024, that is, one year after the violation was discovered.
The letter also states that Monarch High has been reprimanded and placed on probation and the principal and athletic director are required to attend compliance seminars for the upcoming school year.
The transgender student’s participation on the sports team is now under investigation by the Broward School District.
“The district is receiving a letter from the Florida High School Athletic Association regarding the recent incident at Monarch High School.” “The district’s investigation into this matter remains ongoing at this time,” district spokesman John Sullivan told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Once news spread that the student was on the girls’ volleyball team, the high school principal and three other school officials were reassigned.
A member of the Monarch High School staff was suspended after someone sent a report to local officials that the team had allowed… A biological male was required to compete as a female in violation of state law.
Principal James Cecil, Assistant Principal Kenneth May, Athletic Director Dionne Hester and volleyball coach Jessica Norton have been removed from teaching roles.
Norton later revealed that she was the mother of the transgender student.
Former volleyball coach Alex Burgess recently revealed that he was not aware that the player was born male and that he only found out last month despite the student identifying as a girl since she was a little girl.
“I had no idea,” he said. “I think there were some people who already knew about it, but I think everyone who came to investigate kind of pointed the finger at her.”
The student started taking hormone blockers at age 11 and was on the team for two years. The unnamed student began identifying as a girl at the age of three.
Her mother claimed that keeping her daughter away was a direct attempt to put her in danger.
“There is a long history in this country of people being removed against their will – forced removal, especially of a child, is a direct attempt to endanger the person being exposed,” Norton’s statement said.
“We ask that everyone respect our family’s privacy, and give our family the space we need to talk about our experience on our terms and schedule.”
The student was “presented” as female as early as preschool, according to a 2021 lawsuit filed by the family.
She saw herself as a girl and conveyed that to her parents in clear terms. At the age of five or six, her parents realized, based on ——’s behavior and statements—that their daughter was transgender.
She also developed a love for soccer and competed with girls throughout middle school, the lawsuit added.
“At age 11, upon the recommendation of an endocrinologist, she began using hormone blockers to suppress testosterone,” the report states.
“This year, under medical supervision, she began receiving estrogen, and will continue to do so for the rest of her life. This will allow her to live as the girl/woman she is.
Hundreds of Monarch High School students staged two walkouts in response to the staff transfer.
They gathered at the football field waving signs in support of their peers and chanting “Transgender Lives Matter.”
DeSantis signed a law in 2021 that excludes transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports teams in public schools.
“In Florida, girls will play girls’ sports, and boys will play boys’ sports,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill. “We will make sure that is the case.”
The law states that sports teams or sports designated for girls, women, or girls are not open to male students.
He adds that “the statement of the student’s biological sex on the student’s official birth certificate is deemed to have correctly stated the student’s biological sex at birth.”
More than 20 other states have similar restrictive laws, including Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming.
In recent news, a controversy has erupted after a trans student was banned from participating in high school sports in Florida. The student, who was a member of the girls volleyball team, has been barred from competing due to their gender identity. This decision has sparked a heated debate on the rights of trans individuals in sports and has raised questions about inclusivity and equality in the high school athletic community. The issue has garnered attention and has become a focal point for discussions on gender identity and discrimination in sports.