‘Do not track our daughters.’ Sports board hears scathing comments over menstrual proposal
Female athletes won’t have to disclose information about their menstrual history, the Florida High School Athletic Association ruled Thursday.
The original proposal faced scathing criticism from students, parents, physicians and others. Here’s what people said about the board’s reversal:
‘DO NOT TRACK OUR DAUGHTERS’
During the Thursday meeting, the board listened to more than 150 emails — many of them from parents or medical professionals.
“The question doesn’t have any bearing on a female being able to perform a task,” a parent wrote. “Its simple purpose: to shame and degrade females from participating in sports.”
“I will not be putting my children in sports if this is required in any way,” another said. “Please do not track our daughters and tell them that they’re being treated different than their male peers.”
“The standards do not apply equally to when a boy begins to masturbate,” another wrote. “I use this as an example of the absurdity of the notion...”
Multiple people suggested if the menstruation question were to be required, information about male students’ ejaculation also had to be collected.
‘PRIVATE PERSONAL MATTER’
Lisa DeSolar, 16, was getting ready for dance practice when she heard about the board’s decision. The sophomore at Miami Beach High School told the Miami Herald she was relieved.
“It’s too much of a private personal matter for the school to be documenting that and have it stored in a box somewhere,” DeSolar said.
Miami High girls’ basketball coach Sam Baumgarten said the girls on his team didn’t really talk about the issue, but he doesn’t imagine any female athlete would want to answer those questions.
“I just don’t know where a question like that would tell me if I should play or not,” Baumgarten said. “You have a heart murmur or there’s something wrong with your lungs — things like that — these are reasons why you should maybe check that out before we put you on a playing field.”
‘WIN FOR FLORIDA STUDENT-ATHLETES’
Several physicians whose comments were read noted the potential breach of medical-privacy laws. At least one physician wrote that they would refuse to fill out the form’s menstrual-record section because it was an “invasion of privacy meant to weed out transgender kids.”
Several cited Florida’s right of privacy enshrined in the state’s constitution.
Dr. Judith Simms-Cendan, division director of pediatric adolescent gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said she’s glad the board vetoed the requirement.
“I do hope that athletes, parents and their healthcare providers do address menstrual health in their wellness exams, but I am glad that this information is kept private,” said Simms-Cendan, who’s also the president-elect of the North American Society for
Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.
The board’s decision allows athletes to safely participate in sports while also protecting their privacy, said Dr. Thresia Gambon, a Miami-Dade pediatrician and president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“We also know that storing records of protected medical information outside the clinical setting poses privacy risks for students and families,” Gambon said. “Today’s decision by the FHSAA is a win for Florida’s studentathletes.”