Joint Statement on Anti-Trans Youth Sports Bills
March 8, 2021
As organizations that primarily support, lift up, and celebrate women and girls, we know how important it is for women and girls to have spaces to work together for shared goals. Each of our organizations is devoted to this purpose, whether through policy change, leadership development, physical activity, or more. We know that when women and girls work together, they thrive.
Youth sports are a celebration of this spirit: they are an opportunity for teamwork, collaboration, skills development, and physical and emotional wellness. That is why it’s so important that youth sports welcome and affirm trans girls to participate as the girls that they are.
Trans women and girls - and all trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people - face serious challenges to their health and wellbeing. Trans people experience far higher rates of harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual violence than their peers (1), and in Maine, trans youth are almost twice as likely to consider suicide than their peers. (2)
Athletic teams can offer some measure of protection against this harm. Sports are an opportunity for young people to build connections and a sense of belonging. For girls especially, who are more likely to experience mental health challenges (3) or to struggle with body image, team sports can be a confidence builder and a refuge. A blanket exclusion would keep trans girls out and to deny them these experiences, further marginalizing these community members, and teaching their peers that exclusion is acceptable. This is not in keeping with the values of youth sports. Discrimination based on gender also goes against the spirit of Title IX, which has protected the right of equal access to the benefits of education and sports since 1972. (4)
As organizations which work to celebrate and expand gender equity, we know that we can build a more equitable future for women and girls by ensuring that all women and girls - including trans women and girls - are part of the team.
In solidarity,
Maine Women’s Lobby
Girls on the Run -- Maine
Hardy Girls Healthy Women
2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Report (2015). National Center for Transgender Equality. Retrieved from Violence Against Women Network https://vawnet.org/material/2015-us-transgender-survey-report
2019 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (2019). Maine Center for Disease Control. Retrieved from www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/data/miyhs/
Ibid.
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
