The Path to Inclusion of Transgender Athletes: Guided by Children’s Rights

Representative Birkeland is the bill sponsor of a new bill determining the eligibility of trans-athletes that contains an innovative mechanism for including athletes and instilling a sense of belonging. This legislation is the result of work by Professor Wilson as part of the Fairness for All Initiative, bringing academics and politicians such as Rep Birkeland and President Adams (Utah) together to find a common ground in contested religious "culture wars" . They will explore the outlines of this negotiated, brokered compromise as an instance of legal protections ensuring human rights for all.

Speakers

President J. Stuart Adams, Utah State Senate

Republican - District 22

County(ies) - Davis

Stuart Adams currently serves as President of the Utah State Senate. He served 6 years as Senate Majority Whip. He also served 4-1/2 years in the Utah House of Representatives. He is a former Chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission and the current Chairman of the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA). He served 9 years on the Layton City Council. A graduate from the University of Utah with a B.A. in Business Finance, he is a partner in the Adams Company, a Real Estate, Construction and Development Firm in Kaysville, Utah. He and his wife Susan are parents of four daughters and have 16 grandchildren. He enjoys skiing and other outdoor activities with them.

Kera Birkeland, Utah House of Representatives

Republican - District 53

County(ies) - Daggett, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Summit

Kera Birkeland is a wife and mother of six. She has spent most of her career in the private sector. In 2011 Kera opened a private preschool and childcare facility, where she was the lead educator. In 2019, Kera branched out to the legal world as the business manager of a local law firm. In 2020 Kera was appointed to the Utah House of Representatives, where she advocates for local control, parents’ rights, and criminal justice reform. When she’s not with her family or working, she’s coaching the local high school girls’ basketball team or officiating high school football and basketball games.

Director Robin Fretwell Wilson, Institute of Government and Public Affaris (IGPA)

Robin Fretwell Wilson is the Director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) for the University of Illinois System, as well as the Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Chair in Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. She co-directs the College of Law’s Epstein Health Law & Policy Program and its Family Law & Policy Program. Professor Wilson also founded and directs the Tolerance Means Dialogues and the Fairness for All Initiative, both which are made possible with private philanthropic support. Professor Wilson co-leads IGPA’s Equity, Justice and Human Flourishing Working Group and is a founding member of the genomic security and privacy theme of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign. A member of the American Law Institute, Professor Wilson has thrice been honored for her work with lawmakers on innovative laws that address thorny questions, such as how to mesh LGBT rights with protections for religious belief and practice.

Link to the article and bill