Arizona boy reportedly barred from team due to error on birth certificate | Arizona
A boy in Arizona was reportedly barred from joining his school’s boys’ basketball team due to an error on his original birth certificate and was ordered to play on the girls’ team instead.
Laker Jackson’s case is the latest to highlight the ongoing debate over school athletics and gender identity in the United States, at a time when elected Republican leaders are increasingly pushing to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports.
But in his case, Laker is not trans. He is an eighth-grader at Eastmark High School in Mesa, Arizona, and is excited to join his school’s team, he told the local news outlet. AZ Family.
“I love the team aspect of the sport,” Laker said. “I love playing basketball, I wrestle and I love football.”
But his mother, Becky Jackson, said Laker was removed from the auditions due to a clerical error based on an inaccuracy on his original birth certificate. Laker’s birth certificate mistakenly states that he was born a woman.
The mix-up with Laker’s birth certificate didn’t cause many problems over the years and was often the butt of jokes, Jackson told AZFamily. “I give them the birth certificate and they say, ‘Did you know that’s a woman?'” Jackson said. “I thought, ‘Oh, man, that’s funny.’ So we’re coming home. Everyone laughs.”
But problems started when he tried to join the Laker basketball team. Jackson said the Laker was cut from tryouts by his high school’s athletic director in front of his team coach and other potential team members. Laker said other students also talked about him being removed from tryouts.
Even after Laker’s parents received a corrected birth certificate along with a doctor’s note, district officials refused to allow Laker to try and requested additional chromosome analysis.
The cost of chromosome testing can be expensive; It can range from $100 to $2,000.
“If we get chromosome testing now, they might consider changing it. They haven’t said they’ll do it. They’re saying they might,” Jackson told AZFamily.
The Queen Creek unified school district, whose jurisdiction Laker’s case falls under, said in a statement to AZFamily that it was “committed to ensuring fairness, integrity, and equal opportunity in all athletic programs for both boys and girls.”
“In this particular case, the student has been enrolled in QCUSD since elementary school and has been registered as a biological female throughout her time in our district,” the statement continued. “The day before basketball tryouts, the parent submitted a new birth certificate and a doctor’s note stating the gender change. Our schools rely on the original birth certificate at birth to determine the student’s athletic eligibility.
“The parent of this student reached out to our district and asked for help finding a solution. We advised the parent that documentation such as chromosome analysis may be considered to help support or verify eligibility in accordance with the policy.
“Our team has communicated this information directly to the family and expressed our desire to work together towards a solution. We have not yet received a response, but we remain open and committed to ongoing dialogue.”
Arizona It is one of at least 27 states that restrict or ban transgender athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identity.
