Anti Trans Sports Bans

Myths About Trans Student Athletes, Debunked

Chase Strangio & Gabriel Arkles, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 2020

Girls who are trans are told repeatedly that they are not “real” girls and boys who are trans are told they are not “real” boys. Non-binary people are told that their gender is not real and that they must be either boys or girls. None of these statements are true.
There is no one way for women’s bodies to be. Women, including women who are transgender, intersex, or disabled, have a range of different physical characteristics.
A person’s sex is made up of multiple biological characteristics and they may not all align as typically male or female in a given person. Further, many people who are not trans can have hormones levels outside of the range considered typical of a cis person of their assigned sex.

MYTH: Sex is binary, apparent at birth, and identifiable through singular biological characteristics*

Trans people have the same right to play sports as anybody else. Excluding trans people from any space or activity is harmful, particularly for trans youth.
Believing and perpetuating myths and misconceptions about trans athletes is harmful. Denying trans people the right to participate is discrimination and it doesn’t just hurt trans people, it hurts all of us.

MYTH: Trans students need separate teams*

Including trans student athletes promotes values of non-discrimination and inclusion among all student athletes.
Whereas, excluding trans girls from girls sports invites gender policing that could subject any girl to invasive accusations of being “too masculine” or “too good” at their sport. It is never appropriate to ask any student about their bodies, hormones, or medical care.

MYTH: The participation of trans student athletes hurts cis girls*

Women and girls who are trans face discrimination and violence that makes it difficult to even stay in school. According to the U.S. Trans Survey, 22 percent of trans women who were perceived as trans in school were harassed so badly they had to leave school because of it. Another 10 percent were kicked out of school. The idea that women and girls have an advantage because they are trans ignores the actual conditions of their lives.
Trans athletes vary in athletic ability just like cisgender athletes. “One high jumper could be taller and have longer legs than another, but the other could have perfect form, and then do better,” explains Andraya Yearwood, a student track athlete and ACLU client. “One sprinter could have parents who spend so much money on personal training for their child, which in turn, would cause that child to run faster,” she adds. In Connecticut, where cisgender girl runners have tried to block Andraya from participating in the sport she loves, the very same cis girls who have claimed that trans athletes have an “unfair” advantage have consistently performed as well as or better than transgender competitors.
“A person’s genetic make-up and internal and external reproductive anatomy are not useful indicators of athletic performance,”according to Dr. Joshua D. Safer. “For a trans woman athlete who meets NCAA standards, “there is no inherent reason why her physiological characteristics related to athletic performance should be treated differently from the physiological characteristics of a non-transgender woman.”

MYTH: Trans athletes’ physiological characteristics provide an unfair advantage over cis athletes*

In Alaska

In 2022, 37% of Alaska LGBTQ+ youth surveyed reported threat/harm based on being LGBTQ, 66% reported discrimination, and 82% said that their mental health was negatively impacted by politics.

Let kids play!

Trans youth are being forced to choose between participating on a team that does not align with their gender, or forgoing the joy of being a part of a team altogether.