This is an opinion cartoon.
Alabama’s anti-transgender sports law is a hateful solution in search of a problem.
There is no need for such a law. That’s what the Alabama High School Athletic Association is for - the AHSAA has rules to govern these issues. As APR’s Josh Moon writes: “The AHSAA has never once — not in its 100 years of existence — ever ruled on a transgender athlete issue.”
Alabama’s meddlesome, goober politicians need to keep their pandering noses and trunks out of issues they know nothing about and focus on bringing this state out of America’s basement.
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Excerpts from Alabama Political Reporter Josh Moon’s column: The anti-trans sports bill is hateful, and it’s about to get expensive
The law doesn’t even matter.
No, I’m not talking about the fact that the AHSAA has never once — not in its 100 years of existence — ever ruled on a transgender athlete issue. Not one ruling. Ever.
I’m also not talking about the fact that the law will almost certainly be successfully challenged in federal court, leaving the state with nothing but a hefty bill for lawyers. Again.
But none of that is what makes this law truly worthless.
It’s this: It’s not clear whether the legislature even has the authority to make this rule.
There’s little question that if a school is trying to decide if it should follow the AHSAA’s rules — which requires a birth certificate to certify an athlete’s eligibility — or the legislature’s, the school is going with the AHSAA. And the courts will back them every time.
So, let’s recap briefly, shall we?
We have passed a hateful, ignorant law that seeks to procure the votes of stupid people in exchange of hurting at-risk children who already have one of the highest rates of suicide in the world.
That bill addresses a problem that doesn’t exist with a law that likely can’t be followed.
Read the whole APR column here.
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JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com and 2020 RFK Human Rights Award winner for Editorial Cartoons. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.
