A high school coach claims he was dismissed from his position after advocating for the creation of an open division for transgender athletes. John Parks, the former cross country and track and field coach at Lake Oswego High School, alleges that he was terminated after the school district conducted an investigation prompted by a formal complaint from the Portland Public Schools Athletic Director, Marshall Haskins.
According to Parks, the root cause of his dismissal was his advocacy for creating a fair playing field for female athletes. “The basic cause of my dismissal is fighting for females’ right to compete in sports fairly,” Parks stated in an email. He expressed his support for transgender athletes, stating, “I had two transgender athletes on my team this spring, and I support them like all other athletes. I only seek a solution that is a win for all, as we don’t need any athletes subjected to what happened last month.”
The controversy arose after a transgender athlete’s victory at the state track and field championships last month, where Parks witnessed the crowd booing the athlete. Following the event, Parks wrote letters to a state senator and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), expressing his concerns that state policies regarding transgender athletes could compromise the integrity of girls’ sports and lead to controversy.
Parks claims that the administration was aware of his plans to send the letters and that he did not receive any guidance or objections prior to sending them. However, the district declined to comment on Parks’ termination, citing a policy of not discussing personnel matters.
A group of parents and athletes attended the school board meeting to show their support for Parks. One parent commented, “I don’t think this is anything against transgender people. This was to protect both parties involved.”
Parks stated that he plans to challenge his termination and appeal the process, maintaining that he was wrongly fired for advocating for fair competition for all athletes, regardless of gender identity.
