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US Soccer Star: Bills to Ban Transgender Kids from Sports Try to Solve a Problem that Doesn’t Exist
In the Washington Post Megan Rapinoe writes about the joy from being able to play sports as a child. She points out the American anti-trans bills cause incredible harm to trans youth, who, like all kids in a global pandemic, are feeling isolated and need our compassion and support.
Megan Rapinoe plays for OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League and the U.S. women’s national team. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, as well as an ambassador for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit that advocates for equal opportunities in sports.
The photo above is from a photo shoot she and her girlfriend Sue Bird made for InStyle (photo: Beau Grealy).
She writes:
These bills are attempting to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Transgender kids want the opportunity to play sports for the same reasons other kids do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong.
Proponents of these bills argue that they are protecting women. As a woman who has played sports my whole life, I know that the threats to women’s and girls’ sports are lack of funding, resources and media coverage; sexual harassment; and unequal pay.
I know what it feels like to be singled out and treated differently. No one should be treated unfairly because of who they are — and that is especially true of kids.
Adults can’t pretend that we care about the well-being of children while actively creating environments that cause serious harm to them. We can’t make demands for a false sense of fairness while ignoring the actual needs of women and girls…
I want the trans youth in our country to know they are not alone. Women’s organizations, including the Women’s Sports Foundation, National Women’s Law Center and Gender Justice, along with sports icons including Billie Jean King and Candace Parker, agree that transgender girls and women belong in sports and should be able to participate alongside other girls and women.
Read the whole article here.
US Soccer Star: Bills to Ban Transgender Kids from Sports Try to Solve a Problem that Doesn’t Exist
In the Washington Post Megan Rapinoe writes about the joy from being able to play sports as a child. She points out the American anti-trans bills cause incredible harm to trans youth, who, like all kids in a global pandemic, are feeling isolated and need our compassion and support.
Megan Rapinoe plays for OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League and the U.S. women’s national team. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, as well as an ambassador for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit that advocates for equal opportunities in sports.
The photo above is from a photo shoot she and her girlfriend Sue Bird made for InStyle (photo: Beau Grealy).
She writes:
These bills are attempting to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Transgender kids want the opportunity to play sports for the same reasons other kids do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong.
Proponents of these bills argue that they are protecting women. As a woman who has played sports my whole life, I know that the threats to women’s and girls’ sports are lack of funding, resources and media coverage; sexual harassment; and unequal pay.
I know what it feels like to be singled out and treated differently. No one should be treated unfairly because of who they are — and that is especially true of kids.
Adults can’t pretend that we care about the well-being of children while actively creating environments that cause serious harm to them. We can’t make demands for a false sense of fairness while ignoring the actual needs of women and girls…
I want the trans youth in our country to know they are not alone. Women’s organizations, including the Women’s Sports Foundation, National Women’s Law Center and Gender Justice, along with sports icons including Billie Jean King and Candace Parker, agree that transgender girls and women belong in sports and should be able to participate alongside other girls and women.
Read the whole article here.