KS athletic association says ‘sex at birth’ may not be known at birth

(The Sentinel) – The Kansas State High School Activities Association is declining to answer questions about a form asking for the “sex at birth” of high school athletes.

The “Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation” form goes on to state that “In cases of disorder of sexual development (DSD), designation of sex at birth may be delayed for a period of time until medical providers and family can make the appropriate determination.”

The form states that “Pages 1-4 are adapted from PPE: Preparticipation Physical Evaluation, 5th Edition, © 2019 American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. Permission is granted to reprint for noncommercial, educational purposes with acknowledgment.”

The Sentinel emailed every member of the KSHSAA board of directors, which includes State School Board member Jim Porter, asking why the organization believes “sex at birth” can be unknown at birth, and why it promotes gender ideology on its forms. As of publication, no board members responded.

While the form is “adapted” from several sources, it could easily have been “adapted” without the “sex at birth” language.

Moreover, the bottom of each page of the form shows it was last revised in 2024, after the Kansas Legislature overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of the “Fairness In Women’s Sports Act,” which requires student athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their biological sex or are explicitly coed.

Passed in 2023, the law simply requires that athletes compete on teams or in individual sports based upon their biological sex, rather than gender expression.

Additionally, KCUR — the National Public Radio affiliate in Kansas City, Kansas — reported in 2024 that a year later, there had been zero instances of an athlete being turned away from a sport because of the law.

As the Sentinel reported in 2022 after a failed override attempt, NBC News reported on a British study that found that even after a year of hormone replacement — which most transgender minors are not receiving — transgender athletes retain their advantages over biologically female athletes.