By Rep. Dwayne Yunker
In May, I attended the Oregon high school track and field state championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. At the meet, I witnessed girls cheated out of their rightful places on the podium by the orders, policies and laws put in place by Democrats.
Let me explain.
At the meet, a 10th grade male from McDaniel High School in Portland was allowed to compete in the girls events. This person won first place in the Girls 200 Meter Dash 6A event. The best girl in the state, Aster Jones from Roosevelt High School in Portland, was the real winner of the 200 meter race.
It’s common sense. Girls sports exists to promote fairness and opportunity for females. Oregon law and now the Biden administration are now openly doing the opposite. Every kid who competed in Eugene last month was gaslighted and lied to by the adults in charge.
What a cruel joke.
Read on as I explain how it happened and how I believe it should be handled.
How it happened
In 2019, then-Gov. Kate Brown issued Executive Order No. 19-08 requiring state agencies to “treat all persons consistent with their gender identification.” This granted males access to female-only spaces.
Also in 2019, the Oregon Department of Education revised its policies and directed the organization that manages high school athletics, the Oregon State Activities Association (OSAA), to do the same.
In 2021, under the leadership of then-House Speaker Tina Kotek and at the request of far-left LGBTQ+ activist group Basic Rights Oregon, Democrats in the legislature introduced and passed House Bill 3041, which codified the order and policies into Oregon state law.
Last month, the Biden administration mandated new federal “Title IX” rules that spread Oregon’s dangerous gender experiment nationwide.
To date, at least 15 states have filed lawsuits challenging the new federal rules. The cases raise very legitimate concerns about the new rules’ misinterpretation of the term “sex” to now mean “gender identity” and their infringement on First Amendment speech rights and 14th Amendment due process rights.
How to handle
Contact your legislators to complain. Consider filing a discrimination lawsuit in the courts on behalf of your kids. Stop voting for Democrats! This kind of stuff is part of their platform. Stop voting for Republicans who compromise with them on legislation that goes against their core principles!
Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Now’s the time to get involved.
Rep. Dwayne Yunker is a Republican from Grants Pass who represents Oregon House District 3, Josephine County. Contact him at www.oregonlegislature.gov/yunker.