Hey folks - we have three updates for you and two more (quick) actions you can take to continue this fight. Hopefully some of you have made a call to the RIIL office - we are going to continue to pressure them into calling a meeting about the gender policy.
Update 1: The minutes from all 2025 Principals’ Committee on Athletics meetings were released today. We have attached a screenshot of the minutes from the March 7th meeting when they revised the gender policy. It seems to have been the only agenda item that day, the meeting did not originally appear in the list of scheduled meetings, and coincidentally, the “Center for Freedom and Prosperity” released their Civil Rights complaint against RIIL on March 6th. Due to a lack of transparency from RIIL, we are left to speculate (and conclude) that this meeting was a direct response to that complaint. There were 6 folks on the committee that were missing for the vote, but otherwise the committee voted 11-0 to change the policy. Other than those represented on the committee, we don’t know where the 50+ high schools and numerous middle schools in RIIL stand on this issue – we assume they were not consulted as our principal was notified only after the decision was made.
Update 2: This week, we sent a letter to RI Attorney General Peter Neronha who has voiced strong support for our transgender youth. In February, he sent a letter of guidance to all school officials criticizing Trump’s executive orders and stating that RI schools should not change any protective policies. We asked if the Attorney General’s office could sign our petition, support our cause and pressure RIIL to open a public forum about the new policy. We will keep you updated when we receive a response.
Update 3: One of the petition signers, Sydney, who joined us at last Monday's RIIL meeting spoke with Director Lunney on a follow-up call on Friday. When she asked about when there will be a public forum for us to express our concerns, he answered that as a private organization they do not need to invite public comment. So, as of right now, it seems like RIIL doesn't intend to provide the "proper venue" that they kept referring to in the last meeting. Right now, they want to make this decision without the input of the students, coaches, and community members it affects.
ACTION 1: The Facebook group “Unite RI Resistance” has added some members, but we want to continue to build it. We are asking that folks join this page and send to any advocacy groups that they know, in an attempt to centralize grassroots movement communication.
ACTION 2: Here is a next step that you can take to continue to put RIIL under pressure. At the meeting last Monday, the Chair of the Principals’ Committee on Athletics, Daniel Warner, stated that the meeting agendas are created by member schools requesting that certain topics be discussed. Obviously, we now know that is not strictly true, since the March 7th meeting was not requested by member schools. Regardless, he advised us to contact our local administrators and ask them to reach out to RIIL requesting a meeting or agenda time for a public conversation about the changed gender policy. In an attempt to put pressure on RIIL from all sides, we drafted an email that you could send to your local school principal(s) with this request, filling in your specific information.
Joining the Facebook group and copying and pasting this email draft are two actions that will take you less than five minutes. We need to show RIIL that we are not willing to stand silently and give up the fight on this issue. Thank you for your continued advocacy for our trans youth!
In solidarity,
Syed and Paul
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EMAIL TEMPLATE FOR COMMUNICATING WITH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS BELOW
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Dear [name of recipient],
I am writing to you as a [parent/student/educator/concerned citizen] who believes in equal rights for all youth, including transgender and gender non-conforming youth. On Monday, March 24th, a group of educators and community members attended the RIIL (Rhode Island Interscholastic League) Principals' Committee on Athletics meeting. These educators represented the now 600+ signers of the https://bit.ly/risports4all petition, which demands that the RIIL return to a policy that honors the dignity, worth, and belonging of trans athletes.
RIIL’s former policy stated that “All students should have the opportunity to participate in the RIIL activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.” On March 7th, RIIL changed this policy, removing any language specifically supporting trans youth and emphasizing that “Member schools are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable state and federal law when determining gender-based eligibility for participation.” The petitioners believe that this decision represents an abandonment of a commitment to trans youth participation in sports.
At the Principals’ Committee meeting, community members were instructed by Chairperson Daniel Warner to remain silent and that the issues in the petition would not be discussed, as they were not on the planned agenda. The community members were instructed that the meeting was not the proper forum to discuss these issues. When pressed to give a date and time when the petitioner's concerns would be addressed, the Chairman was unable to offer any specifics.
I am writing to you to request that, as a party with a stake in the RIIL, you send an email or make a phone call to request a concrete meeting time where the petitioners’ concerns can be heard and public interest in this issue can be addressed. Michael P. Lunney, RIIL Executive Director can be reached at Michael.Lunney@riil.org. Please ask him “When and where will the meeting be held to address community members' concerns about RIIL’s recent change in policy regarding gender and student athlete participation? We should be able to address these issues at a date and time that allows for real participation.”
Sincerely,
[Name]