An Oregon high school track coach said he got fired over "fighting for female sports" amid transgender athletes' dominance.
John Parks — the now-former track & field head coach of Lake Oswego High School — told KATU-TV the district terminated his contract for writing letters to state officials that pushed to change laws affecting transgender athlete participation.
'I'm going to fight now because I got wronged. I ... am fighting for girls, I'm fighting for female sports, and I'm fighting that it be fair for everybody.'
The station said Parks wrote two letters to Peter Weber, executive director of the Oregon Student Activities Association, and state Sen. Rob Wagner prior to and following May's state championships.
Parks' letters argued that state law, while protecting athletes who desire to compete in the gender categories that match their gender identities, compromises the integrity of female sports, KATU noted.
"The OSAA competition rules need to be aligned with what the rest of the world competes under," Parks wrote to Wagner in reference to hormone testing requirements the International Olympic Committee and other organizations enforce, the station said. "My proposal to encourage transgender participation is to offer an open division that is so named so it doesn't identify or discriminate but offers an opportunity to participate."
During KATU's video interview with Parks — which you can view here — he said when it comes to championship events, which can determine athletic scholarships, transgender athletes "have an unfair advantage" in female competitions at the "highest level."
Parks told KATU he was there in person when the state championship crowd booed a transgender athlete who won a girls' event.
"I want them to be able to participate where they're not booed," Parks added to the station, emphasizing that he supports transgender athletes and doesn't want them excluded.
More from KATU:
Mary Kay Larson, the Director of Communications at Lake Oswego School District, confirmed on Monday that Parks is no longer an employee of the district. She declined to explain why his employment, which started in Jan. 2023, ended. "We do not discuss personnel matters," she said.
Parks is now in the process of appealing his termination, and claimed the district's swift action stood against his ability to voice his opinion to state officials.
"I'm going to fight now because I got wronged," Parks added to the station. "I ... am fighting for girls, I'm fighting for female sports, and I'm fighting that it be fair for everybody."
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