Southwest
School official appears to advise parents of trans athletes to change birth certificate to play girls' sports
A school district administrator in Texas was seen encouraging parents to make false changes to their child’s birth certificate so they would qualify to play in girls’ sports as a biological male, according to a recently released video.
The footage shows a man, allegedly Reny Lizardo, who serves as the executive director of campus operations for the Irving Independent School District, telling an undercover journalist that “It’s not illegal if you don’t get caught” in regard to doctoring a child’s birth certificate to undermine Texas state law that prevents trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports.
“Could you legally change the gender on a birth certificate? I don’t know enough about that subject,” he says, according to video obtained by Accuracy in Media. “If you can get that done, and you turn us a birth certificate that says ‘this gender,’ that’s the gender we go with.”
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When asked if a hypothetical trans athlete had the gender on a birth certificate changed to female and would be able to then play on the girls’ soccer team, the man allegedly identified as Lizardo responds, “Yeah.” He also says the school district could plead plausible deniability if the athlete’s birth gender was uncovered and prompted a lawsuit.
“If a parent found out or a student found out and said, ‘Wait a second. This person isn’t this gender,’ and they, like, sued the district, we’d be in trouble. But, we can also say, ‘We didn’t know’ … So, there’s a plausible deniability, I guess,” he is seen saying before suggesting their conversation not be spoken about again.
“Me and you never had this conversation.”
In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women’s Sports Act that bans trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate. The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error.
Texas is one of 25 states in the U.S. to have a law in place to prevent or restrict trans athletes from competing against girls and women, and a national bill is currently making its way through Congress.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the footage involving Lizardo in a post on X, and called for him to be fired and criminally investigated.
“This Irving ISD Administrator should be fired on the spot. Both criminal & civil investigations must be taken against both the Administrator & Irving ISD,” Abbott wrote. “Has Irving ISD and its employees been involved in a fraudulent breach of state laws & a cover up? We must get the facts.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Irving Independent School District for comment.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Jan. 14, which would cut federal funding for any public educational institution that allows trans athletes to compete against girls and women in sports.
Every Republican representative voted in favor of the bill, but only two Democrats, Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzales, D-Texas, voted to pass it. The remaining 206 House Democrats all voted against. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted “present.”
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrat or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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