Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

A former Oregon high school track coach is suing the school district where he worked, claiming he was fired for advocating for a separate division for transgender athletes.

John Parks, a former track and field coach at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, has filed a lawsuit against the Lake Oswego School District and School Board, alleging that he was fired in retaliation for speaking out about the impact of transgender athletes on girls' sports.

Parks, who had coached the girls' track and field team at Lake Oswego for several years, was dismissed last month after he sent a letter to state officials expressing concerns about the current laws governing transgender athlete participation. He argued that the laws, as currently constructed, do a disservice to girls' sports and create an unfair advantage for transgender athletes.

Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

In his lawsuit, Parks alleges that the school district and school board violated his First Amendment rights by firing him for expressing his views on a matter of public concern. He also claims that the district failed to follow its own policies and procedures in terminating his employment.

"The main point of [filing the lawsuit] is to drive home the point that we need protection for female athletes, that's first and foremost," Parks told Fox News Digital. "I think we have to force action at the state level."

Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

Parks said he had concerns leading up to the state championships in May about how the presence of a transgender athlete on the opposing team would impact his girls. He felt that the current rules, which allow transgender athletes to compete against the gender they identify with, were unfair to female athletes.

"I had girls on the team that were anxious, parents that were angry," Parks said. "So, I speak to my AD, just asking [if I can] contact the OSAA (Oregon Student Activities Association) and say that this is something that shouldn't be happening, not just my girls but to all the girls."

Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

Parks wrote a letter to a high-ranking official with the OSAA expressing his concerns, and he also sent letters to state Sen. Rob Wagner. In the letters, he proposed creating an open division for transgender athletes to compete in, so that they could participate without taking away from the achievements of female athletes.

Parks' concerns align with the International Olympic Committee's hormone testing mandates, which vary across different sports leagues, committees, and organizations.

Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

"The OSAA competition rules need to be aligned with what the rest of the world competes under," Parks wrote in his letter to Wagner. "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."

Parks also addressed his concerns on the "Gaines for Girls" podcast, hosted by former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines. He said he supports transgender athletes but believes they should have their own division to compete in.

Track Coach Files Lawsuit Over Transgender Athletes Dispute

"All I was advocating for … [was] an open division that would allow competition so that the fans could cheer the transgender athletes separately and recognize and reward their efforts," Parks told Gaines, "but not take away from the female athletes that were naturally born females that are in a whole different competition level."

Parks has received overwhelming support since his dismissal, with many parents and community members expressing their support for his stance.

"One hundred percent supportive, not one person has said one negative thing to me," Parks said. "I have not even seen [negative feedback] posted anywhere on social media. I think everybody begins to get the argument when I discuss it, because they are coming at it from a passionate thing to support girls but also caring about transgender athletes. Because we'll get more transgender participation if they have their own categories where they don't feel like they're displacing girls from the medal stand, from the victory stand."

Parks' lawsuit is being supported by the Liberty Justice Center, a legal organization that specializes in defending First Amendment rights. The organization's attorneys are confident that Parks will be able to get his job back.

"We believe that John Parks was wrongfully terminated for expressing his views on a matter of public concern," said Buck Dougherty, an attorney with the Liberty Justice Center. "We are confident that the court will vindicate his First Amendment rights and order his reinstatement."

The Lake Oswego School District has declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing a policy of not discussing personnel matters.