'Liberty Justice' sues Oregon school district that fired coach over trans issues

The Liberty Justice Center recently filed a First Amendment lawsuit against a school district in Oregon on behalf of a high school track and field coach who the district fired for proposing an open division for male athletes who identify as transgender, according to a press release from the organization.

The Lake Oswego School Board fired head track and field coach John Parks after he wrote a letter proposing an open division for what was then the upcoming track and field state championship.

The call for change came during a season when a transgender athlete from Portland won an Oregon School Activities Association Class 6A state championship in the 200-meter (23.82 seconds). Parks coached two runners who competed against them, LJC said.

Oregon lets athletes compete in sports based on their self-selected gender identity. It's a different policy than the World Athletics Council has where transgender women who have undergone male puberty cannot compete in women's international races, the Liberty Justice Center points out.

In his May 2024 letter to the OSAA, Parks said he thinks the current policy puts too much pressure and national media attention on transgender-identifying student-athletes.

"He advocated for an open division as a place where transgender athletes could compete without facing harassment and where their athletic achievements could be celebrated," the release said.

Parks also expressed concern that the current policy is unfair to female student-athletes.

The OSAA responded to the letter from Parks by contacting the Lake Oswego School District on May 23. The OSAA accused him of discriminating against and harassing transgender-identifying athletes at recent meets.

The school district fired Parks on June 12 and said he violated their harassment policy. The district denied his appeal request, ignoring his denial of the OSAA's accusations.

Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the district and its school board on behalf of Parks on Wednesday, July 24. LJC contends that the district denied Parks his right to free speech and due process.

“Coach Parks was retaliated against, falsely accused of discriminatory behavior, denied an appeal, and fired—just for exercising his constitutional right to free speech as a private citizen,” Buck Dougherty, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, said. “We are proud to stand up for his constitutional rights through this lawsuit, and we look forward to holding the District and the Board accountable for this egregious violation of free speech and due process.”

Coach John Parks, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, explained his perspective in further detail.

“I’m a staunch defender of transgender rights," Parks said in the release. "For decades, I’ve been a voice for equitable and inclusive treatment for students with a wide variety of gender and sexual identities, on the track and in the classroom. And I’ve seen that these athletic controversies are drawing negative attention to the trans community. Trans athletes have a right to compete, but their bodies have major physical advantages over other students. Oregon’s current policies subject these kids to so much politicization, and that’s a failure by the administration. We have to find a better way to allow all student-athletes to compete. For that to happen, we need these matters discussed, not silenced.”

Lake Oswego School District has not publicly explained its decision to fire Parks.

Mary Kay Larson, the Director of Communications for the school district, told KATU last month, "We do not discuss personnel matters."

LJC filed Parks v. Lake Oswego School District in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division, earlier this week.

One can read LJC's legal filings in the case here.