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Track coach who sued Oregon school district explains why transgender division is necessary

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Track coach who sued Oregon school district explains why transgender division is necessary

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John Parks, a high school track coach in Oregon who has sued his former school district over alleged First Amendment infractions, explained why a separate division for transgender athletes was necessary in his eyes.

Parks was fired from Lake Oswego High School after he sent a letter to state officials and asked them to reconsider state rules regarding transgender athletes. Parks raised concerns over laws that offer protections for athletes who seek to compete against the gender they personally identify. He told Fox News Digital he filed the lawsuit because he felt like he did nothing wrong.

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Former Oregon high school track coach John Parks (OutKick)

On Monday, Parks appeared on “OutKick The Morning” with Charly Arnolt and explained why he believed there should be a separate division for transgender athletes. He recalled one transgender girl getting booed by fans after winning a race. He also noted physical advantages.

“By having a separate division, you empower more transgender athletes to feel comfortable to come out, because right now, I think a lot would feel like, ‘Well, I don’t want to do so to disadvantage, because I do have a physical advantage.’ That’s been proven by the scientific studies done by the IOC and other international sport federations like World Athletes, World Aquatics, etc.,” Parks said.

“They got these policies in place, and the concern at the high school level is, ‘Well, not all kids develop at the same age.’ Well, we still have separate divisions for a reason, and the transgender athletes are fully aware that if they’ve gone through puberty they have an advantage. They have higher testosterone levels, and that’s where they have this advantage they can’t undo,” he continued.

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“Those are the things I mentioned because it’s what should be addressed, so the kids are cheered and celebrated for their accomplishments and not booed – it’s not what sports is about.”

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John Parks coached girls track and field at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. (Fox News)

Parks previously told KATU that he addressed two letters to a high-ranking official with the Oregon Student Activities Association. He also sent letters to state Sen. Rob Wagner, including one last month after Oregon’s state championships. In the letters, Parks said the state’s laws, as currently constructed, do a disservice to girls’ sports.

Parks appeared to reference the International Olympic Committee’s hormone testing mandates. The requirements for hormone testing vary across different sports leagues, committees and organizations.

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“The OSAA competition rules need to be aligned with what the rest of the world competes under,” Parks wrote in the letter addressed 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 told Arnolt he was still a bit stunned over the school district’s decision to terminate him.

“I’m still mystified as to why they took this path,” he said. “It’s damaged the reputation of the leadership that made this decision. … Hundreds of parents have come up to me and said, ‘We’re behind you, we’re fighting for you, stick it to the district.’ All these kinds of comments.

People wave a Transgender Pride flag as they attend the LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023, in Hollywood, California. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

“It goes back to coaches in the building at Lake Oswego who still support me 100%, and the more they’ve heard, the angrier they have gotten with the decision made. So, it’s divided the school.”

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The Liberty Justice Center filed the lawsuit on Parks’ behalf.

Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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Alaska

Alaska Supreme Court to take up case on Dan J. Sullivan, decision expected by Tuesday

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Alaska Supreme Court to take up case on Dan J. Sullivan, decision expected by Tuesday


JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – The Supreme Court of Alaska will be taking up the case of the State of Alaska, Division of Elections v. Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.

The oral arguments will be held Monday at 10 a.m. via Zoom, according to an order and opening notice.

The document also specifies that a decision is expected to be made before noon on Tuesday.

According to documents from the Division of Elections, the state must start printing ballots at noon on the same day.

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This comes after an Anchorage Superior Court Judge ordered Dan J. Sullivan on to the ballot Friday.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.



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California

CA state senator physically, verbally harassed at pride parade for Israel stance | The Jerusalem Post

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CA state senator physically, verbally harassed at pride parade for Israel stance | The Jerusalem Post


California State Senator Scott Wiener was harassed for his stance on Gaza during the San Francisco Trans March on Friday, to the point where it was no longer safe for him to remain, Wiener said. 

A group of people were so “physically and verbally aggressive that it was impossible for me to safely remain in the park,” Wiener stated, adding that this was the first time he did not participate in the march.

Wiener was surrounded by people who made statements about his “Israeli handlers, among many other inaccurate, extreme, and vile statements,” Wiener said.

“We f***ing hate you. You stopped being queer the moment you started supporting Israel,” one person yelled in a video later shared on social media.

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Wiener stated that while he has no objection to anyone disagreeing, opposing, or protesting him, the “harassment, including cornering me, touching me, or trying to physically bully me out of a public event, that crosses a line.” 

“In San Francisco, we’re better than that,” he added.

Mayor Daniel Lurie made a statement on X/Twitter condemning the harassment, calling the language used “targeted, hateful, and antisemitic.”

In San Francisco, we welcome disagreement and respectful dialogue around issues many of us feel passionately about – but we cannot allow harassment and threats of violence,” Lurie wrote.

The California State Senate Democratic Caucus also released a statement on X, condemning the hate Wiener received. 

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“The harassment and violence shown from yesterday’s march in San Francisco towards Senator Scott Wiener is unacceptable and must be called out,” the statement read.

The caucus also pointed to Wiener’s work on legislation “advancing the rights and protections for Transgender, Gender Expansive and Intersex people.”

“The CA Senate Democratic Caucus and CA LGBTQ Caucus jointly denounce the verbal harassment and attacks he experienced,” the statement said.





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Arizona

Phoenix homeowner fights ASU’s eminent domain bid to save pre-statehood historic home

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Phoenix homeowner fights ASU’s eminent domain bid to save pre-statehood historic home


PHOENIX — 89-year-old Robert Young is battling Arizona State University in court over the Louis Emerson home, one of the oldest remaining houses in the Phoenix Churchill area.

At the corner of 4th and Pierce streets sits a home that pre-dates Arizona statehood, and now sits at the center of a legal battle between its owner and Arizona State University.

ASU wants the land where the Louis Emerson home stands. The university is planning a medical and technology school nearby and says it wants to exercise its right of possession over the property.

But Young, who has owned the home since 1975, is not backing down.

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“It’s not gonna happen. That’s what I thought then and that’s what I think today. I will not let it happen,” Young said.

Marshall Shore, known as the Hip Historian, says the home is one of the oldest remaining houses in the Phoenix Churchill area, built before Arizona was even a state.

“This house was here before statehood, before Arizona even thought of becoming a state; this house was here, and so it deserves to tell that story and continue on,” Shore said.

Shore says the home’s history is rooted in everyday life.

“It was an everyday man’s house. He was a butcher,” Shore said.

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Young says he and his wife lived in the home for 8 years before renting it out. He calls it an architectural and historic treasure that is irreplaceable. He says the legal battle is taking a toll on both of them.

“It’s stressful. You don’t know from day to day if you’re gonna find the house on the corner,” Young said.

Young says the university offered him between $290,000 and nearly $1 million for the property. Maricopa County Superior Court records show the Arizona Board of Regents sued Young for the home earlier this month.

According to the Arizona Republic, ASU gave a written statement explaining that they made several offers to Young on his home. Their final offer was based on an appraisal, and it was not accepted.

Shore says the home does not need to come down and has a vision for how it could coexist with the planned medical school.

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“I mean there’s nothing more sustainable than keeping a house where it is. Create a pocket park around it, so that way people can come and enjoy that little pocket park and make it really a gem in the community,” Shore said.

Shore says an online petition in support of preserving the home has gathered more than 10,000 signatures.

Young wants ASU and the public to understand what is truly at stake.

“It’s the way it’s placed on the corner, and it’s the fact that this corner itself is historic,” Young said.

Young is expected to appear in court on Sept. 4 to explain why the home should not be torn down.

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