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Biden’s Sports Plan: Anger, Controversy, and Division among Transgender Advocates and Opponents

by Sophia Chen
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A plan by the Biden government to not allow any schools to stop transgender athletes from joining sports teams didn’t go well with everyone. Some conservatives were mad, while activists who support trans rights were also unhappy because this still leaves some transgender athletes unable to join a team that matches their gender identity.

The government is proposing a law which could stop states from not letting transgender students play sports. However, if the plan gets approved, schools can still create rules to limit how much transgender students can participate in competitive high school and college sports. For example, Kansas recently passed a rule that stops transgender athletes from playing girls’ and women’s sports.

Recently there have been rallies to support Transgender Day of Visibility. There is a new plan that prohibits schools from banning transgender children in elementary school from joining things like girls basketball teams, but it allows schools to set rules to make sure the playing field is fair and nobody gets hurt while playing competitive sports.

Imara Jones, the creator of “The Anti-Trans Hate Machine” podcast, disagreed with President Joe Biden’s idea of allowing some schools to prevent transgender athletes from competing in sports. She believes that this is an unfair human rights issue and President Biden is trying to stay neutral on such an important topic in order to remain popular during election time.

According to Jones, the Biden Administration proposed something that looks like a ban on discriminating against trans athletes but in reality, it is actually providing ways for schools and universities to legally ban trans athletes. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York criticized the plan as being “indefensible and embarrassing”.

Erin Reed, a well-known trans rights activist and researcher, said the suggested idea is “alarming” because it sounds like something that certain people on the ‘right’ (politicians or activists) believe. They think that if trans athletes join competitions, it could lead to injuries for other athletes and fewer chances of winning awards for those who were born as the gender they identify with. She’s afraid boards in schools and politicians will use this argument to make rules against trans people joining sports teams.

Researchers haven’t done much work to find out if trans girls have an advantage over cisgender girls when competing or playing sports.

When someone read the document which was released, they were upset and said that it was worse than doing nothing and would be seen as a betrayal.

When asked to comment, the U.S. Department of Education did not say anything on Friday.

Sean Ebony Coleman, who set up the LGBTQ+ center Destination Tomorrow in New York City said that politicians (especially on a national level) should not permit trans people to be treated badly. He also said that while laws might stop all-encompassing bans against them, there could still be ways for gender discrimination and horrible attitudes towards trans people at a local level.

Some transgender athletes are happy with a proposal that could help them access sports more easily. Iszac Henig, who is a trans man and swimmer at Yale University said it’s a good start but protection could be expanded more to include elite and collegiate sports so all trans athletes can join teams they like if their athletic skills are up to par.

Organizations that work with and support lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) are happy about a new proposal that would allow schools to have rules in place to be inclusive of transgender athletes. It is meant to take into account the differences between sports and the different levels of playing each sport.

Doriane Coleman, a professor from Duke University, believes that schools are allowed to have boys’ and girls’ sports teams. She also thinks it’s better than always using the same rules for everyone in certain states. She suggests that the government, states, and groups who help with these situations should look for evidence that shows what type of standards there should be for each sport and level before taking any action related to them.

A lot of Republican leaders were against the proposal and said they would battle it in court. Governor Kristi Noem insisted that South Dakota would stand against this plan and she herself will lead to defend their laws.

The Alabama Attorney General is thinking about starting a legal challenge against the federal government. In 2021, lawmakers in Alabama made it illegal for trans women and girls to play on female sports teams in K-12 schools. Also, 20 other states wanted to stop the federal government from giving LGBTQ+ people rights.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that he made it very clear to the Biden Administration that he won’t let them implement their extreme policies that could harm sports competitions for girls in Alabama, since state law will defend those female athletes. Selina Soule, an old high school track player from Connecticut who sued her state due to two transgender girls being allowed to fight against her and others, disapproved of this suggestion. Stay tuned!

She said she losses out easily when competing with transgender girls because women should have fair competitions. The government is giving generic public thirty days time frame to comment on the proposal which will be published in Federal Register and then Education Department will look into those comments and make amendments if necessary before sending out final law.

Murphy and Schoenbaum wrote news reports from Oklahoma City and Raleigh, North Carolina. Meanwhile, other people wrote news reports too, such as Carole who was in Washington D.C., Erica who was in Denver, Kimberly who was in Montgomery Alabama, Pat who was in Hartford Connecticut, and John who was in Topeka Kansas.

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