High School Coach Booted after Advocating ‘Open Category’ for Trans-Identifying Athletes

John Parks, Lake Oswego High School’s head track and field coach, was allegedly punished for trying to promote fair competition. Ever since transgenderism flooded the sports scene, a war broke out between those who want to include biological men in women’s sports and those who want to keep them out. Parks went for the option in the middle of the spectrum by advocating for an “open division” where trans-identifying athletes could compete without unfairly putting women in harm’s way.

Parks wrote two letters, one before the state championships in May and one after, and he believes the content of these letters is why his contract was terminated by the school district. Each letter was sent to both the Executive Director of the Oregon Student Activities Association Peter Weber and Senator Rob Wagner (D-Ore.) According to The Daily Wire, the letters contained Parks’s arguments “that Oregon law, which currently allows trans-identifying biological males to compete with female athletes, is harming girls’ sports.”

Additionally, the coach “called for student sports in Oregon to follow the lead of other sports organizations like the International Olympic Committee that require hormone testing for trans-identifying athletes.” As Parks wrote, “My proposal to encourage transgender participation is to offer an open division that is so named so it doesn’t identify or discriminate but offers an opportunity to participate.” But as KATU reported, “Mary Kay Larson, the Director of Communications at Lake Oswego School District, confirmed on Monday that Parks is no longer an employee of the district,” but she refused to explain why.

In response, Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, posted on X, “Lake Oswego high school track & field coach was terminated after demanding fair competition for his female athletes. … The problem is his stance was way too reasonable, so they ousted him.” One user commented, “What a wild, wild world. Why do they wish to erase females from fair competition?”

Notably, Parks has voiced his support for trans-identifying athletes to compete, just not in the female division. “I want them to be able to participate where they’re not booed,” he said. However, “I’m going to fight now because I got wronged. I am … fighting for girls, I’m fighting for female sports, and I’m fighting that it be fair for everybody.” As he emphasized, this coach understands biological males have advantages over girls and women in the realm of athleticism.

It seems these unfolding circumstances have ramped up support for the coach, with a petition to reinstate Parks as coach circulating throughout the community. To further analyze the situation, Joseph Backholm, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement, commented to The Washington Stand, “There’s obviously a lot we don’t know about this situation, so I don’t want to take a strong position on why he wasn’t offered another contract.” However, he added, “It’s believable that he was removed because he was out of step with the regime.” And yet, it’s “also possible that other factors were relevant, and [this all] looks worse than it is.”

While for a lot remains unknown about why the coach’s contract was terminated, Backholm highlighted how we’ve seen that, historically, “progressives object to an ‘open category’ as a way of preserving fairness because the goal is to create a world in which self-perception is reality.” The reality is, he went on to say, “An ‘open category’ still acknowledges that men and women are distinct categories and should be treated differently in some situations.”

If it’s true Parks was fired over his support for an “open category,” then Backholm believes it could likely be due to the fact that proponents of transgenderism “want to create a world in which being a man or woman is exclusively a matter of self-perception,” and “‘open categories’ don’t accomplish that goal.” But regardless of what led to the decision the school district made, Backholm urged, “It’s important to remember that people should be treated as individuals.”

He continued, “Though some people who claim to be ‘pro-trans’ are totally detached from reality, not everyone is. Some take that position out of perceived politeness, but still recognize that men and women are biologically different.” Backholm concluded, “This coach seems to fall into this category. Acknowledging any objective truths will get you in trouble these days, but his willingness to take that position publicly was either an act of courage or naivete.”