GENDER IDENTITY PARTICIPATION POLICY ‘The Maine Principals’ Association is committed to providing all students with an equal opportunity to participate in intescholastie athletics regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or jgender identity. In furtherance of this commitment, the MPA has adopted the following policy related to the participation of students whose gender identity differs from the students sex assigned at birth 1, Definitions: Gender identity is defined asa student's innate sense oftheir gender, which may be the same as or different from the sex assigned at birth A transgender student is defined as student whose gender identity dfes from the sex asigned a bin. For example, a transgender person who was assigned female at birth may identify s male, a combination of male and female, or neither. ‘&. A nonbinary student is defined asa student whose gender identity doesnot conform to raditional binary beliefs about gender being exclusively either male or female A cisgender sident i a student whose gender identity matches the sex assigned at bith, 2. A student who wishes to participate in MPA sponsored interscholastic athletics must declare their gender identity to their member school if their gender identity differs from the student's sex assigned at birth. The member school shall have the sole authority to determine gender identity assignment forthe purposes of athletic registration and Paticipation in MPA sponsored events. No medical records or official documents shall be requested or required to establish a students gender identity. 3. A tansgender student shal be eligible to participate in accordance with either ther birth sex ‘or in aecordance with ther gender identity, but not both. For example, transgender student ‘who was assigned male at birth may pay field hockey inthe fll but cannot tryout Fr the ‘boys’ basketball team inthe winter (assuming they continue to identify as female). Similarly, transgender student who was assigned female at bith may try out fr the boys" basketball team but may not try aut Fr the girls" basketball team i they’ are cut from the boys tam, 4. The existence of male/female gender divisions on most tans creates & need fora non-binary student to determine which gendered team they feel most closely aligns withthe gender identity. Alternatively, a non-binary student may selet the gendered team on which the fee ‘most comfortable participating. Factors thatthe nonbinary athlete may take into consideration include established camaraderie with fellow athletes, personal safety, and/or privacy concerns. The memiber school will help to determine, though counseling and discussions ‘with the student, the student's statu regarding gender identity. Once a nonbinary student ecides to participate in a sport diferent fom the student's assigned sex a birth, the student willbe eligible to participate in spots offered forthe selected gender, following the same rules a a transgender student. 5, Ifa tansgender or non-binary student has not yet declared their transgender or non-binary status, this poliey shall not apply. Ifa transgender or non-bary student, at some point during their high school career, no longer identifies asa transgender or non-bary stent, this poli shall not apply. nether ease, the student will be eligible to participate as a csyender student