Everyone Deserves Sports

Trans Inclusion in Sports: Part 1

This post kicks off an information-sharing campaign to support the inclusion of ALL girls and women in girls’ and women’s sports. I originally wrote these posts as part of a Facebook fundraiser for Athlete Ally, and I am repurposing them here so that more people can access this information. This is a very important issue to me, as a former athlete and current researcher of gender in sport organizations—but it’s more important to the individuals targeted by hate and harmful policies. Policies that will undoubtedly be on the rise over the next four years.

I know for many, the information you’ve received about trans people - and about trans participation in sports - may not be a reflection of the actual research or the true lived experiences of those targeted by these policies. In this eight-part series, I will share some information and resources about trans inclusion in sports, including breaking down the myths about biological advantages and the concepts of fairness in sports, explaining how our socially embedded ideas about gender impact our views on trans inclusion, and highlighting where exactly this rise in anti-trans rhetoric and policies are coming from.

For Part 1 of the series, I will start with a simple message: Sport is a human right, as declared by the International Olympic Committee. As Megan Rapinoe said to Time Magazine, when we talk about trans inclusion, we need to start by centering people’s lives. This isn’t about winning or losing - it's about respecting other people and including individuals in spaces where they belong.

Check out the other posts in the series, and head to Athlete Ally's Resource page for more ways to support trans inclusion in sports.