House passes anti-trans sports bill

[bronxgirl]

"The House bill would prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. It seeks to amend federal law to require that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” for the purpose of determining compliance with Title IX in athletics, according to the legislative text."

www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/politics/house-transgender-sports-bill/index.html

So enraging and terrifying, although not surprising. Thank God Democrats retained control of the senate (for now) so this bill will not move forward, but that could easily change with the next election. And of course, all the hateful fuckery going on at the state level.  I wish I had something more enlightening to say, but I'm just so angry and sad. What a terrifying time for Trans people and families.

[erbear]

This might be my hill to die on. I got into it on a local newspaper group (I know, I know) over this this morning. You can’t claim to care deeply about protecting women’s sports when you have never, ever supported women’s sports, when you have gone out of your way to be sexist and misogynistic. This is transphobia, clear and present, and it’s abhorrent. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO IS PLAYING.

[fortnightlily]

God, what utter assholes.

[bronxgirl]

Of course, the outright hatred is disgusting, but I'm also nauseated by the faux "protecting women's rights" gaslighting.

[seeyalater52]

Some new “first” every day. This is the first explicitly anti-trans bill that has passed a chamber of Congress. Yay.

Things are going to get so bad in so many ways if we can’t hold these narrow majorities. I am genuinely scared.

[VillainV]

NC is considering a similar bill. There is no language to keep trans boys from playing on boys teams. At least here, the rhetoric is mirroring trans-exclusionary feminism (from people who clearly don’t give a damn about actual feminism or women).

[penguingrrl]

Holy fuck that’s disturbing.

[sonrisa]

Apr 20, 2023 20:12:59 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Some new “first” every day. This is the first explicitly anti-trans bill that has passed a chamber of Congress. Yay.

Things are going to get so bad in so many ways if we can’t hold these narrow majorities. I am genuinely scared.

FUCK. THEM.


I had just had a first - the first family who moved here because their kid could no longer get medical care in their former home state I have met a number of families who relocated for a more affirming environment, but this is the first time I've met someone who moved because of these new laws.

The growing possibility these laws could go national is So. Fucking. Awful. 

[sonrisa]

Apr 20, 2023 20:16:11 GMT -5 VillainV said:

NC is considering a similar bill. There is no language to keep trans boys from playing on boys teams. At least here, the rhetoric is mirroring trans-exclusionary feminism (from people who clearly don’t give a damn about actual feminism or women).

But you can be damned well sure all these fuckers  will be keeping trans boys/non binary kids from playing on girls'/women's teams soon (if they have done *anything* to transition away from cis visions of femininity)

[seeyalater52]

Also just a reminder for folks who don’t follow these issues closely, 21+ states have already passed these bans at the state level, with several more expected to pass this legislative session.

The US House action shows though that everyone could be subject to this discrimination within one election cycle. Truly sobering.

[Jalapeñomel]

Extinction.event.

I'll keep screaming it.

[pixy0stix]

Couching the hate as an effort to protect women is rich. They give zero shits about women.

[sonrisa]

Apr 21, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Couching the hate as an effort to protect women is rich. 

It's borrowing a page right out of the old racism book.

How many atrocious acts and Jim Crow laws were "justified" as "protecting white women"?

[brady2012]

At what point do we start pushing local/state/federal bills that require people to take and pass a bigotry test to vote and/or serve as elected official?  I am ready to start taking fundamental rights away from them (and I also want their guns). 

My kids are fortunate enough to be in a school district that teaches using texts addressing gender identity, gender inclusion etc as a required part of its ELA curriculum starting in elementary school.  I have had some really interesting conversations with my youngest that have shown me how his worldview is being expanded through what he is learning at school.  My older child plays in a rec sports league with trans youth on several teams and none of the kids bat an eye, nor do the parents to my knowledge.

I am so tired of the GOP wasting my taxpayer dollars on this BS and of minority rule, they should lose their right to vote and hold office.

[cattledogkisses]

Apr 21, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Couching the hate as an effort to protect women is rich. They give zero shits about women.

Right?  The people claiming to want to protect women are the very people I feel I need to be protected from. 

I don't need protection from trans people, I need protection from Christian nationalists and wannabe fascists. 

[sonrisa]

Apr 21, 2023 11:31:35 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Apr 21, 2023 9:02:22 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Couching the hate as an effort to protect women is rich. They give zero shits about women.

Right?  The people claiming to want to protect women are the very people I feel I need to be protected from. 

I don't need protection from trans people, I need protection from Christian nationalists and wannabe fascists. 

the map for states restricting abortion and reproductive health access, the map of states with anti transgender healthcare laws and the map of places where people die younger because of lack of healthcare have a lot of overlap.

[NewOrleans]

🥺

[Saudade]

Fuck this. I'm so fucking over this. I just want people to be able to be themselves and get the care they deserve and be able to do my gd job and not be fucking targeted.

[mrspez07]

This whole issue has had me upset and it reeks of the racist language banning black athletes in the not too distant past! I am also trying to learn more and be as educated as possible in the last few weeks to battle as much mis-information as possible.

A question or two for those more familiar with the language of the laws being passed. So if they are requiring an athlete to participate in sports per their sex at birth, but specifically prohibiting those identifying female that were male at birth, they’re ok with transgendered youth who have or are transitioning from female to male to participate in girls sports? Even with potentially higher testosterone levels? Doesn’t seem to really “solve” the “problem” they think they’re solving. I know that the other laws banning gender affirming care are dismantling that possibility as well, but as a stand-alone, is this the way the laws are being set up?

Also, anyone have stats on numbers of actual athletes here? Seems like such a small percentage of our population at every level (and I don’t want that to come across as diminishing it’s impact on that percentage of humans), for such scare tactics (I know, we know this, but trying to prove it to others). Everyone should be able to participate in sports!

Some of the info I had found so far to argue the disinformation, more than happy to discuss the validity of these as well:

www.npr.org/2021/05/24/999897243/this-researcher-is-trying-to-settle-the-transgender-athlete-debate-using-science

www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

www.currentaffairs.org/2021/05/the-arguments-against-trans-athletes-are-bigoted-and-irrational

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448865/

[erbear]

Apr 21, 2023 15:55:32 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

This whole issue has had me upset and it reeks of the racist language banning black athletes in the not too distant past! I am also trying to learn more and be as educated as possible in the last few weeks to battle as much mis-information as possible.

A question or two for those more familiar with the language of the laws being passed. So if they are requiring an athlete to participate in sports per their sex at birth, but specifically prohibiting those identifying female that were male at birth, they’re ok with transgendered youth who have or are transitioning from female to male to participate in girls sports? Even with potentially higher testosterone levels? Doesn’t seem to really “solve” the “problem” they think they’re solving. I know that the other laws banning gender affirming care are dismantling that possibility as well, but as a stand-alone, is this the way the laws are being set up?

Also, anyone have stats on numbers of actual athletes here? Seems like such a small percentage of our population at every level (and I don’t want that to come across as diminishing it’s impact on that percentage of humans), for such scare tactics (I know, we know this, but trying to prove it to others). Everyone should be able to participate in sports!

Some of the info I had found so far to argue the disinformation, more than happy to discuss the validity of these as well:

www.npr.org/2021/05/24/999897243/this-researcher-is-trying-to-settle-the-transgender-athlete-debate-using-science

www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

www.currentaffairs.org/2021/05/the-arguments-against-trans-athletes-are-bigoted-and-irrational

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448865/

This is the part that kills me. We’re talking about a tiny group of (largely) kids most of the time. They aren’t elite athletes. They aren’t superstars. They aren’t professionals. They are kids who want to play team sports. Why does it matter to them so much?!

[katespade]

Apr 21, 2023 15:55:32 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

A question or two for those more familiar with the language of the laws being passed. So if they are requiring an athlete to participate in sports per their sex at birth, but specifically prohibiting those identifying female that were male at birth, they’re ok with transgendered youth who have or are transitioning from female to male to participate in girls sports? Even with potentially higher testosterone levels? Doesn’t seem to really “solve” the “problem” they think they’re solving. I know that the other laws banning gender affirming care are dismantling that possibility as well, but as a stand-alone, is this the way the laws are being set up?

I would assume HRT that includes testosterone would fall under the banned substances category for most sports organizations, which would prohibit those athletes from participating.

[seeyalater52]

mrspez07 per your first sentence these rules are also often targeted toward policing athletes of color, particularly women. For folks who remember Caster Semenya, this is an extension of the dialogue that was publicized around the time she was forced to undergo chromosome testing (2009.) Since it was discovered she is intersex, she and other similarly situated athletes have more recently been banned from participating in various events unless they suppress their naturally occurring hormones (in her case testosterone.) She had no idea about being intersex before the validity of her participation was challenged.

It is notable that a lot of the people experiencing exclusion based on these sorts of bans and rules are people of color, and queer people of color in particular. Not that it’s a huge number of people - for example in NC I’m pretty sure there were only 2 trans girls who have participated in K-12 sports and several more trans boys but just a handful of kids. I recall when Utah passed their van a couple years ago it was literally one or two kids in the whole state. Imagine the legislature flat out bullying <5 specific kids and acting like that is normal.

The above also answers your question about participation of trans men on T - that is typically covered under existing restrictions on hormone use. However, several of the state level bans on trans youth sports participation specify that they apply only to trans girls participating in girls’ sports so they are indeed more narrowly tailored.

[seeyalater52]

For folks wanting to learn more about arguments to push back against transphobic talking points, Schuyler does an incredible job with his workshops and education and is a former athlete so has great perspective on this issue.

Trans Activism and You is coming up soon:
pinkmantaray.com/workshops

[VillainV]

Apr 21, 2023 15:55:32 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

This whole issue has had me upset and it reeks of the racist language banning black athletes in the not too distant past! I am also trying to learn more and be as educated as possible in the last few weeks to battle as much mis-information as possible.

A question or two for those more familiar with the language of the laws being passed. So if they are requiring an athlete to participate in sports per their sex at birth, but specifically prohibiting those identifying female that were male at birth, they’re ok with transgendered youth who have or are transitioning from female to male to participate in girls sports? Even with potentially higher testosterone levels? Doesn’t seem to really “solve” the “problem” they think they’re solving. I know that the other laws banning gender affirming care are dismantling that possibility as well, but as a stand-alone, is this the way the laws are being set up?

Also, anyone have stats on numbers of actual athletes here? Seems like such a small percentage of our population at every level (and I don’t want that to come across as diminishing it’s impact on that percentage of humans), for such scare tactics (I know, we know this, but trying to prove it to others). Everyone should be able to participate in sports!

Some of the info I had found so far to argue the disinformation, more than happy to discuss the validity of these as well:

www.npr.org/2021/05/24/999897243/this-researcher-is-trying-to-settle-the-transgender-athlete-debate-using-science

www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

www.currentaffairs.org/2021/05/the-arguments-against-trans-athletes-are-bigoted-and-irrational

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448865/

In most states were talking about a single-digit or very low double-digit number of athletes at the HS level. I think our local news station said it was like 12 athletes in NC. A few years ago in Utah it was 3. A larger state like CA or FL might be a few hundred. But yeah, they are spending a ridiculous amount of time on targeting very small number of CHILDREN, instead of, you know, preventing thousands of CHILD DEATHS in mass shootings.

[sonrisa]

When we are talking about numbers, it's important to remember not all trans kids are out. For some kids, being stealth is very important (for safety, for preference, cultural acceptance, whatever). These laws are also one more way to try and out kids.

Kids aren't being stealth to evade sports rules or get some sort of "benefit." In fact, participating in sports is that much harder for those kids (it's hard to be stealth in a locker room). They are just a kid, living their life, who happens to also like playing volleyball/soccer/softball/whatever. They usually aren't the best player on the team - just one more kid out there on the field. (there is so much sexism bound up in the idea that the average trans girl would somehow have a big advantage over her teammates.) Despite what is implied by these laws, if they started transition early their hormones are likely to have created sports disadvantages (a side effect of blockers can be reduced height as well as lower bone density).

[emilyj]

Apr 21, 2023 15:55:32 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

This whole issue has had me upset and it reeks of the racist language banning black athletes in the not too distant past! I am also trying to learn more and be as educated as possible in the last few weeks to battle as much mis-information as possible.

A question or two for those more familiar with the language of the laws being passed. So if they are requiring an athlete to participate in sports per their sex at birth, but specifically prohibiting those identifying female that were male at birth, they’re ok with transgendered youth who have or are transitioning from female to male to participate in girls sports? Even with potentially higher testosterone levels? Doesn’t seem to really “solve” the “problem” they think they’re solving. I know that the other laws banning gender affirming care are dismantling that possibility as well, but as a stand-alone, is this the way the laws are being set up?

Also, anyone have stats on numbers of actual athletes here? Seems like such a small percentage of our population at every level (and I don’t want that to come across as diminishing it’s impact on that percentage of humans), for such scare tactics (I know, we know this, but trying to prove it to others). Everyone should be able to participate in sports!

Some of the info I had found so far to argue the disinformation, more than happy to discuss the validity of these as well:

www.npr.org/2021/05/24/999897243/this-researcher-is-trying-to-settle-the-transgender-athlete-debate-using-science

www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked

www.currentaffairs.org/2021/05/the-arguments-against-trans-athletes-are-bigoted-and-irrational

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448865/

I've been doing research about attitudes and perceptions of trans athletes participating in sport and media coverage. I looked in November at the (then) 18 states' bills, trying to figure out what each one said. It wholly depends on the state, but for the most part, all of the states who have put these bans up use this language: "A male, based on a student's biological sex at birth in accordance with the student's genetics and reproductive biology, may not participate on an athletic team or sport designated under this section as being a female, women's, or girls' athletic team or sport." (That's from Indiana's bill)

Some states explicitly say: "A public K-12 school may not allow a biological female to participate on a male team if there is a female team in a sport. A public K-12 school may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team." (That's Alabama's bill)

Arizona's bill has this language: "THIS SECTION DOES NOT RESTRICT THE ELIGIBILITY OF ANY STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY INTERSCHOLASTIC OR INTRAMURAL ATHLETIC TEAM OR SPORT DESIGNATED AS BEING FOR "MALES", "MEN" OR "BOYS" OR DESIGNATED AS "COED" OR "MIXED".  Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia all have similar language, offering free season on any men's team for any student.

South Carolina makes an allowance for a female on a male team if there is no female team offered (so if a school had men's soccer, but not women's, the student could play on the soccer team regardless of if they were a cis female, nonbinary student, or trans woman).

Utah, as of now, is the only bill that actually outlines an appeal process for a student. 

A couple of bills, notably Idaho, specifically state that a medical exam is required to verify:  "If disputed, a student may establish sex by presenting a signed 16 physician's statement that shall indicate the student's sex based solely on:17 (a) The student's internal and external reproductive anatomy; 18 (b) The student's normal endogenously produced levels of testosterone; 19 and20 (c) An analysis of the student's genetic makeup."

As for numbers...minimal. That's what it comes down to. You're likely talking about less than 1% of potential trans athletes in any state. Some states openly admit they do not know of any trans athletes (looking at you, Tennessee), but they are doing this as 'prevention.' The only numbers I could find for the NCAA was the count of 36 known out trans athletes, and the list includes athletes that have finished their NCAA career and are not currently competing.

The NCAA has allowed transgender athletes to compete since 2012. The IOC has allowed trans athletes to compete since 2002, with an amendment to their policy in 2015.  That's important to note, since these orgs have allowed this, and we haven't seen this wide, sweeping influx of trans athletes coming in to 'dominate.'  

It's disgusting fear mongering. I, as a former NCAA athletes and currently competing triathlete, give not one shit about trans women participating in the women's category. I think there's enough science and data to show that there isn't a wide sweeping advantage. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport just published an amazing study that looks at all the past research, how it's flawed, and points out some pretty damning points for the anti-trans argument: Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review

If you are looking for other people to follow who are putting out good information on transgender participation in sport, Chris Mosier is always my first choice for information on athletes. He puts out specific calls to action/things you can do, and has started doing a monthly webinar to discuss information. Schulyer Bailar is also an excellent follow. On Instagram Alicia Roth Weigel is intersex, and has a lot of good information surrounding the issues there.