{"id":23465,"date":"2020-12-25T20:59:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-25T20:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=23465"},"modified":"2020-12-26T23:20:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-26T23:20:21","slug":"how-high-school-sports-became-the-latest-battleground-over-transgender-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/how-high-school-sports-became-the-latest-battleground-over-transgender-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth A. Sharrow<\/a>, University of Massachusetts Amherst<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This year, 20 states proposed to ban transgender girls<\/a> \u2013 meaning those assigned male at birth but who live and identify as girls \u2013 from competing on girls interscholastic sports teams.<\/p>\n

The only bill to pass was in Idaho. That law bars transgender athletes<\/a> from participating in high school and college sports. It also authorizes \u201csex testing\u201d of athletes through genital exams and genetic and hormone testing.<\/p>\n

The ACLU is challenging the law<\/a>, arguing that it violates civil rights, and a federal court has delayed its implementation. On Dec. 21, over 60 women\u2019s and LGBTQ rights groups<\/a> and nearly 200 women athletes<\/a>, including Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe and Candace Parker, filed legal briefs contesting the Idaho law and supporting the full inclusion of transgender athletes.<\/p>\n

The right of girls and women to compete on sports teams has endured 50 years<\/a> of policy debate. With more young people<\/a> now identifying as transgender, whether transgender girls can compete on girls high school teams has risen to the forefront of these discussions.<\/p>\n

My research<\/a> helps explain why sports is a key venue for disputes over transgender equality today. The expansion of competitive sports for girls and women \u2013 both internationally and in the U.S. \u2013 has heightened scrutiny of who \u201cbelongs\u201d on girls and women\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n

A patchwork of rules<\/h2>\n

Whether transgender youth can participate in athletics currently depends on where they live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some states<\/a>, like Minnesota and Massachusetts, allow transgender athletes to compete on the teams that comport with their identity, regardless of medical interventions. Others, like Illinois and Virginia, require a documented medical transition<\/a>, including disclosure of hormone therapies. In states such as Georgia and New Mexico, athletic eligibility is determined only by the sex designated<\/a> on a student\u2019s birth certificate. Still others, like Pennsylvania, let local schools decide<\/a>. Ten states<\/a> offer no statewide guidance for incorporating transgender athletes.<\/p>\n

These eligibility rules are typically determined by state athletic associations, not state legislatures. However the recent spate of legislation suggests this could change.<\/p>\n