Trans youth face adversity when signing up for sports teams

 Some U.S States have introduced laws that include requiring high schools, and Universities to designate sports teams according to biological sex. The question at hand would be whether or not this could restrict trans and cis gender rights.

The Mississippi Fairness Act, the first law that has passed regarding transgender people and participating in sports last March. This law states that courts have recognized men and women have inherent physiological differences that give them different athletic capabilities. 

It states that “ Athletic teams or sports designated for “females” or “ women” shall not be open to students of biologically male sex.”

According to the U.S Centre For Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, almost 44 percent of transgender youth that were surveyed reported considering suicide the previous year. In 2015, 77 per cent of transgender adults who were perceived as transgender in Kindergarten through Grade 12 reported negative experiences at school.

Jack Paulin, transgender adult, 25 said that he experienced transphobia in high school. Paulin  said he was bullied online about being transgender and recalled an event that made him feel that way.

“I had a bunch of friends , and they broke into my house and they wrote “ You are a girl” and my name on my wall with sauce and also spray painted “ You are a girl on the side of my house,” Paulin said.

Paulin also said he never tried out for sports but said he believes he would have been accepted because the high school he attended was very accepting but does not believe all school’s would have been.

In 2018, the International Association of Athletics Federation required females to have a specific level of testosterone to be eligible for certain competitions, alleging that higher levels of testosterone can give athletes an unfair advantage over other players.

Max Denley, Registered Social Worker and trans athlete, said that sports are a huge thing for many kids and centering  them out and not allowing them to play is another way of isolating and ostracizing trans youth.

“ Any kind of isolation can have detrimental mental health impacts on kids, and trans kids are already susceptible to mental health challenges simply due to these instances of discriminations they do face, especially in kids sports,” Denley said.

Denley also said there is no way of properly policing or enforcing rules on kids’ sports regarding trans participation without the actions being harmful or disrespectful to the trans youth.