Transgender Athletes

https://www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-about-transgender-non-binary-athletes

Article by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

*** Twenty states, the IOC, and the NCAA have allowed trans athletes to play sports for decades, with no problems ***

The alternative way to look at the flip-side of the coin is, nearly thirty states and many sports associations have some form of restrictions towards trans athletes, and it is very discouraging.

My child does not play super manly/ boyish team sports like the typical American kids (football, baseball, soccer, basketball...) or other individual competitive varsity sports (swimming, wrestling, tennis, you name it!). My child does/ did get exposed to some uncommon individual activities (table tennis, fencing, curling, sailing, soon, rowing) and the thing she expresses an interest to continue to pursue at college level is fencing. 

However, due to the way sports are always organized by gender (practice, competitions, rankings, coaching, or the locker room per se), the severe gender dysphoria (with the aid of COVID) made her gradually withdraw from fencing completely. Currently a junior, I do hope she will pick up fencing again, that is, if her future college has it. One of the fair concerns as we assume she would have her name and pronouns legally changed by then, but not her gender, and we do not know how it will affect her access to sport teams. (Note: it should be a topic of another post but, she must change her gender in the state where she was born, unfortunately, it was Texas, and Texas would not allow gender change until bottom surgeries are done, which might never happen to some trans due to the high costs and high risks).

To sum up the situation: (mostly directly targeting transgender girls and women in sports)

2015 used to be the worst year for LGBTQA+ community.

2021 surpassed it as the new worst year, with 250+ anti-LGBTQA+ bills enacted, 35+ towards trans girl athletes.

2022 continued the trend, with at least 55 new anti-LGBTQA+ bills under consideration across states.

What could you do? What could we do? What could I do?

Fact #1: some particular trans girls might have physical advantages that help them in sports of their choices (height in volleyball, for example).

Fact #2: natural variation of such physical attributes is a part of sports, any sport, especially at younger age and they are not always advantages.

Fact #3: not all trans girls have the so-called physical advantages, just like any youth, they have varying physical attributes and interests in sports.    

Fact #4: kids should be allowed to play sports that they enjoy, because playing sports has known benefits emotionally, socially, and mentally.

In conclusion, this is not just adding more discrimination to a minority group that is already marginalized in many social contexts, particularly school, but also a poor practice of inclusion.

My girl, for example, is currently about 5' 5" or 5' 6" and maybe 120 lbs which is considered on the smaller size even for biologically born girls. She also prays every day that she stops growing taller or bolder because she really wants to have the feminine look. Physically, she is not that much stronger than me, who is a 42-year-young female after two pregnancies.