Education

Dr. Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser on K-12 transgender policy

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction 2025 incumbent Dr. Jill Underly and challenger Brittany Kinser discuss public school policies for transgender students in sports and in the classroom.

By Steven Potter | Here & Now

March 27, 2025

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Steven Potter:
Transgender students have come up recently with Republican state lawmakers introducing bills related to sports and names and pronouns. On trans student athletes, where do you stand on that issue?

Dr. Jill Underly:
Well, I think our public schools need to be places that are supportive of all kids, that all kids can belong in our public schools and feel safe. That's part of being part of a community and making sure that kids are not, like I said, bullied, that they belong. And that's really where I feel or how I feel about it.

Brittany Kinser:
So I was a high school athlete and a college athlete, and I want all children to feel safe. My belief is if you're a biological boy, you should be playing in boys' sports.

Steven Potter:
How about with names and pronouns? Should parents have to give consent what their child wants to be called at school?

Dr. Jill Underly:
Well, in my experience, parents have always been part of the conversation. It's like going back to what I said, school should be a place where every child belongs, every child feels safe. And like I said, it's a partnership between parents and school staff.

Brittany Kinser:
I believe that parents should be involved in their child's life. So yes, I've talked to many parents about this, and that was something I worked really hard with is making sure parents were involved in my school. So, I do believe parents need to be involved with the decisions about their child, yes.