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Lawmakers: leave them kids alone
Even though I promised a certain hockey writer that the subject would never again be approached by me in print, the subject of this column is wrestling.
Yesterday, the Education Policy Committee of our forward-thinking state House of Representatives passed a bill onto the House floor for a vote. This bill would make it a requirement that all high school wrestling teams in the state be made up of members of the same sex.
The bill would also repeal portions of a state law that requires high school wrestling teams to allow girls to try out and participate if there is no equivalent girls' team. Since no state high school features a girls' wrestling team, it is a provision in law that is unique to the sport.
Twenty-one years ago, the laws concerning such matters were changed in order to allow girls on boys' teams in response to legal issues and to allow and encourage girls' participation in a wider array of high school sports.
Now the reason being given for the repeal of this gender equity law is that some boys feel uncomfortable competing against a girl in such close quarters.
One mother testified that her son felt much anguish after he declined to wrestle a female, thus forfeiting the match and being disqualified from the tournament.
What's this? Males' rights? Hardly.
This legislation is brought to you by the same people who gave the world bicycle helmets, safety belt laws and non-smoking sections.
These are the people who, whenever one person's "rights" are violated, jump to the conclusion that the entire system is wrong and lobby for a series of laws that will provide a blanket solution to the "problem."
But what about the girls' rights to participate in whatever sport they choose? Any girl who goes out for wrestling obviously knows the kind of contact that happens during a match and the uncomfortable situations that could arise.
In a development that may shock and appall the ultra-liberal left, girls have developed an ability to decide for themselves that, even though they may get groped, they still want to wrestle. They choose to match up night after night against opponents that are genetically predisposed to be stronger. They choose to put up with facing coaches that won't allow their wrestlers to compete against females and they fight the same stigmas they did when the first girls wanted to play football or hockey.
In 1999-2000, 26 Minnesota girls chose to participate in high school wrestling. Many wrestling teams have a similar number of athletes on their squad. Unlike football and hockey, which are growing in popularity among girls, choosing to wrestle leaves a girl with precious few options.
Only Florida, Hawaii and Texas have enough female wrestlers to put on their own girls' state wrestling championship. This law would clearly take away the one and only option that girl grapplers have. Gloria Steinem would be grossly displeased.
And what is the House doing hearing this kind of nonsense right now, anyway? Our state is facing a $2 billion deficit dead in the face (thanks for the $48 last year, Jesse) and will have to get very, very cute in the bookkeeping department to keep our collective heads above water.
Now is clearly not the time to be wasting time trying to solve the problems of the few. It is in the best interest of the general public and the people who are concerned with trivial things like crime and taxes that the legislature do what is right and apply a sleeper hold to this bill that will, in the long run, help nobody at all.
With sex education classes beginning earlier and earlier in children's curriculum, shouldn't these kids be desensitized to all this stuff by now, anyway? From looking at the shocking number of children that are born while their mothers are still in high school, a little clothed contact in front of an audience of adults might be the most appropriate grappling these kids are doing.
The state thought it had solved this issue 21 years ago. If they make this change in the law, it will most certainly be contested by another girl in a few short years. The state shouldn't bother itself with making laws to protect people's feelings.
As one very famous wrestler likes to put it: it's true, it's true.
Matthew Janda can be reached at: [email protected]
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