Major Victory For Rhode Island Advocates Seeking To Protect Women’s K-12 Sports

Cranston, RI – In a major victory for advocates seeking to protect women’s K-12 sports in the Ocean State, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL), under threat of legal action and public pressure, has radically altered its rules and regulations that allow biological boys to compete in girls’ K-12 sports.

The RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity has obtained a March 14 email from RIIL Executive Director, Michael Lunney, sent to all member school principals and athletic directors, advising them of revised guidance and a near complete re-write of its Article 3 Section 3 “gender eligibility” regulations.

While RIIL’s revised policies still allow schools to determine the gender of students wishing to compete in RIIL-sanctioned competitions, the pro-trans-gender regulation has been dramatically weakened and no longer provides legal cover for schools. The revised regulation now shifts legal responsibility to schools, requiring that they determine how to comply with state and federal law in this regard, putting individual schools and school districts at even greater legal peril.

“While we welcome this important step, RIIL still has not completely protected girls’s sports and the safety of female athletes,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “This clever legal maneuver is not enough. Ultimately, RIIL needs to completely prohibit biological boys from ever being able to compete in girls’ sports.”

In addition to ongoing public pressure from crusaders like Robert Chiaradio, an open letter from former prominent Rhode Island student athletes, persistent social media posts, and over 200 petition signers of petition offered by our Center … perhaps the final pressure-items was a federal civil rights complaint filed by our Center’s “Law Centre” naming RIIL (as well as the RI AG, RIDE, and six school districts) as respondents deserving of an Office of Civil Rights investigation for violations of Title IX and federal law. A full chronology of related actions can be found at RIFreedom.org/titleix.

Noting such “significant attention and focus” on the issue, Lunney’s email confirmed that the Principals Committee on Athletics voted and approved the revisions. Article 3, Section 3B-1 (Determination of Gender Based Eligibility) was reduced from a full page to a single paragraph: “1) The RIIL recognizes the value of participation in interscholastic sports for all member-school student athletes. Member schools are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable state and federal law when determining gender-based eligibility for participation. Per Article 2, Section 3B, “proof of and maintenance of eligibility is the exclusive and continuing obligation of the member Principal.”

Expunged from the rules are the gratuitous statements that recognized the rights of students to compete according to their preferred gender identity, as well as instructions for schools on how they might recognize that a biological boy would be allowed to compete in RIIL girls’ sports.

Lunney’s email concludes by stating, “Moving forward, in order to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, it is our recommendation that member schools consult with their legal counsel when making eligibility determinations for participation.”

NOTE: The Center will reach out to Mr. Lunney for additional comment and will provide appropriate updates.