Kearney Public Schools (KPS) Board of Education in Nebraska on Monday passed a policy looking at the participation of transgender athletes in sports at the high school and middle school levels.
The school board had two policy versions to consider during their meeting, voting four to two in favor of Version A.
During the public comment period, there was an overwhelming backlash against the consideration of including transgender athletes from over 40 speakers.
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A wrestling coach critiqued the measure, saying "we only have 14 classes and science figures out who fills those 14 weight classes," he said.
"As adults here in the room, we’re going to have to say listen … there are naturally born women that cannot–cannot compete in the Olympics because they’ve got something that causes them to create too much testosterone. It is an unfair playing field. I’ve seen it in my whole life."
He added that wrestlers with the best work ethic "don’t win because they can’t compete."
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Among the several speakers that blasted the proposal, there was one transgender man who spoke on behalf of allowing transgender youth to participate in their chosen sport.
"The opportunity to race as my gender, and not assigned gender at birth, has contributed to my mental health and success as an adult," Connor Jacobson said.
"It is in the communities best interest to provide the same opportunities to young trans athletes as we already do to cisgender athletes."
The vote now sends the proposal to be discussed further at a later date.
KPS Superintendent Jason Mundorf told a local news outlet that they could wait for the legislature regarding transgender students and athletes, but they decided to open a conversation about the issue.
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The Nebraska Legislature Bill 575, also known as the Sports and Spaces Act, was introduced on February 7th this year. It would prohibit transgender students to use facilities that are not aligned with the biological gender assigned at birth. The bill would also prohibit the participation of transgender athletes in sports that are not aligned with the biological sex assigned at birth.
Fox News Digital reached out to KPS for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
The bill reads:
"An athletic team or sport designated for females, women, or girls shall not be open to a biological male student. An athletic team or sport designated for males, men, or boys shall not be open to a biological female student unless there is no female team available for such sport for such biological female student."
Anti-Transgender athlete and anti-gender-affirming surgery bills swept through state legislatures nationwide, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Wyoming state legislators approved a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit biologically designated male students from playing on female sports teams.
If signed by Gov. Mark Gordon, Wyoming will join a list of other states like Oklahoma, Florida and Mississippi that have banned trans athletes from competing in women's sports.
Parents across the country have protested controversial curricula like critical race theory, as well as the presence of certain books in public libraries.
Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
