Judge says ex-coach was within 'protected speech' in opposing trans athlete's inclusion in girls competition

A former way coach is successful a combat to get his occupation back, saying the schoolhouse territory helium was fired from violated his escaped speech, and a national justice successful the lawsuit whitethorn agree.

John Parks is taking a ineligible stand aft allegedly being fired from Lake Oswego High School for sending a missive to Oregon authorities officials concerning laws related to transgender athletes.

The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) says students tin vie based connected their "consistently asserted sex identity." 

Additionally, the OSAA rules authorities "once a transgender pupil has notified the student's schoolhouse of their sex identity, the pupil shall beryllium consistently treated arsenic that sex for purposes of eligibility for athletics and activities, provided that if the pupil has tried retired oregon participated successful an activity, the pupil whitethorn not enactment during that aforesaid play connected a squad of the different gender."

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John Parks coached girls way and tract astatine Lake Oswego High School successful Oregon. (Fox News)

In May, Parks wrote a missive to the OSAA encouraging the authorities to follow a transgender jock argumentation akin to World Aquatics by creating an unfastened part wherever "all enactment and sex identities" are invited to compete. He besides sent letters to authorities Sen. Rob Wagner, including 1 aft Oregon's authorities championships. In the letters, Parks argued that state's laws, arsenic presently written, bash a disservice to girls sports. 

In a proceeding connected Friday, Parks' lawyer said the district's determination to occurrence Parks aft the email was a "violation of his escaped speech," and helium should "be restored to his job," according to Oregon Live.

U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon said during a proceeding helium believed the email "[fell] wrong protected code made by a backstage citizen."

Parks is seeking a tribunal bid to instrumentality to his occupation arsenic the school's way manager and a peculiar acquisition adjunct portion the ineligible lawsuit remains ongoing. The district, however, says helium was not fired. It says his impermanent contracts expired, and the schoolhouse was not required to widen them.

A way and tract runner during warmups.  (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

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Buck Dougherty, elder counsel astatine the Liberty Justice Center, said successful a connection successful July, "Coach Parks was retaliated against, falsely accused of discriminatory behavior, denied an entreaty and fired — conscionable for exercising his law close to escaped code arsenic a backstage citizen." 

A Lake Oswego School District spokesperson antecedently confirmed that Parks was nary longer employed by the district. The schoolhouse territory stopped abbreviated of going into the circumstances surrounding Parks' departure. 

Former Oregon precocious schoolhouse way manager John Parks. (OutKick)

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Transgender runner Aayden Gallagher of McDaniel High School won the Oregon 6A 200-meter authorities rubric by two-tenths of a 2nd and defeated 1 of Parks' runners successful different race. Lake Oswego, with Parks coaching, won the squad authorities championship.

Fox News' Lindsay Kornick, Ryan Gaydos, and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.

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