Nancy Barto, Just let the Kids Play

Nancy Barto must really want to please her fringe base in her 2020 primary contest against Heather Carter for the Legislative 15 Senate Seat.

The LD 15 Representative has proposed legislation that would disallow transgender  females attending public K-12, community college, and universities from participating on sports teams “that aligns with their gender identity.”

This legislation (which has 22 Republican cosponsors,) designed to cater to the whims of the reactionary Alliance Defending Freedom and Center for Arizona Policy, is intrusive and discriminatory.

According to the Associated Press, the American Civil Liberties Union and several women’s rights groups are already fighting this proposal and others across the country.

Ms. Barto contended that:

“When this is allowed, it discourages female participation in athletics and, worse, it can result in women and girls being denied crucial educational and financial opportunities.”

When asked if she could provide examples of lost opportunities for female athletes, Barto could only point to one in Connecticut (where there is a pending lawsuit.) She could not cite any in Arizona.

There are other more vital educational issues for legislators to debate in Arizona like fully funding schools, attracting teachers to the state, and staffing additional counselors and school resource officers for child growth and safety.

Ms. Barto should focus on those issues rather than stigmatizing a segment of the school-age population who want to participate in after school sports.

She should just leave the kids alone and just let them play.