Oklahoma public schools requiring students complete 'biological sex affidavits' to participate in sports
The requirement by Oklahoma public schools comes months after Gov. Stitt signed the 'Save Women's Sports Act'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oklahoma public schools are now requiring students from kindergarten through college to complete a sex affidavit if they wish to participate in school sports.
An affidavit form distributed by Woodall Public Schools as part of its 2022-23 athletic policy began circulating on social media July 28 after Erin Matson, executive director at Reproaction, a reproductive justice group, shared the form on her Twitter page.
"Do you understand what is happening?" Matson tweeted."This has nothing to do with encouraging girls to be athletes. This is totalitarianism. It is the white nationalist agenda. The anti-LGBTQ agenda. The anti-abortion agenda. It is all the same agenda."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Woodall Public Schools is following a new Oklahoma law, and the affidavit is required by the state statute," Woodall Schools Superintendent Ginger Knight told Fox News Digital via email. The form requires the affiant sign the form as well as a notary.
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill in Oklahoma City March 30, 2022, that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Oklahoma State Department of Education but did not immediately hear back.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The affidavit comes as a part of the state's Save Women's Sports Act, signed in March by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The law requires that youth sports teams base eligibility on "biological sex" rather than gender identity. The text of the law specifies that sports designated for "females, women or girls" shall not be open to male students.
Wilson High School field hockey team practice at John Gurski Stadium on the first day of fall sports Aug. 16, 2021. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
The act requires public school students complete the affidavit prior to the start of the school year, "acknowledging the biological sex of the student at birth." Students 18 years or younger must have a parent or guardian complete the form, while those older than 18 can complete the form themselves.
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If there is any change in the status of the student's biological sex, the affiant is required to notify the school within 30 days of the change.
The law came under fire from several civil rights critics, including the ACLU.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks after signing into law a bill making it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, April 12, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
"Promoting baseless fears about trans athletes does nothing to address those real problems," Tamya Cox-Touré, ACLU of Oklahoma executive director, said in a statement. "Ultimately, SB2 violates the United States Constitution and federal civil rights law, puts Oklahoma at risk of losing federal funding and harms transgender youth, all to solve a problem that does not exist."
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The "Save Women's Sports Act" passed amid a heated debate over allowing transgender girls to participate in women's sports. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are among several governors who have also signed bills prohibiting transgender women from competing in female sports.