TRANSGENDER ATHLETES AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE 1

Transgender Athletes and the Right to Participate

Alex Miller

WRTC 103 – Section 7

03/21/2018
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Table of Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3

Transgender Athletes and the Right to Participate ............................................................. 4

Sports Benefit the Future ...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Transgender Discrimination ............................................................................................ 6

Sport and Transgender People ...................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

References ......................................................................................................................... 10
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Abstract

The question that was researched for this essay was, Should schools approach transgender

athletes differently? Currently, transgender athletes have been experiencing hardship when it

comes to athletic competition. Athletic regulations have been restricting transgender athletes and

have made it, so the athletes are not able to compete in the gender division that they identify

within. The reason for choosing this topic is to emphasize the issue that is currently happening

today. I wanted to explore why it has been difficult for school officials and athletic

administration to change the rules that are discriminating these athletes. The importance of the

topic to my peers is that our class topic is focused on gender, and because of the connectivity

with the athletes due to the similar age group.

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Transgender Athletes and the Right to Participate

Transgender athletes are seen as different in the athletic community. Now, this is expected

from society because the norm is being pushed. But, treating these athletes differently than cis

gender athletes has stirred up problems such as, discrimination and prejudice. In Texas, a

transgender boy named Mack Beggs has experience first-hand the discrimination of being a

transgender athlete, while being in high school. Beggs has been competing in the girl’s division

in wrestling and dominating the competition; this has brought around hate and question

surrounding the current policy for high school competition. Being transgender is difficult enough

with the judgment from other people, but as a high schooler who doesn’t have much of a choice

it isn’t fair.

The current policies that regulate competition have proven to be outdated with the

changing times of today. The significance in exploring this topic is that this year, 2018, the

number of transgender people is growing. With this increase in population, there will be more

athletes that will be transgender, and since it is becoming a bigger demographic, the solution to

the current policy is needed quickly. An overall solution nationally is well overdue, but as states

around the nation have adapted policies that promote the inclusion of transgender athletes, it is

only a matter of time before the whole nation takes notice.

Sports benefit the Future

The transgender population have experienced discrimination and bullying in the high

school scene. In Mahoney, Dodds, and Polasek’s article (2015), “Progress for Transgender

Athletes”, it highlights the importance that sports has in the lives of students that affect them for

the future. The audience that the authors target are the school officials and athletic

administration, but also the community as a whole. The focus for the article seems to be the
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benefits that arise with athletic competition and the teamwork skills that carry over into the real

world as these students grow up. Along with the benefits of competition, the authors highlight

the significance of the negative factors that affect the athletes if not given the same equal

opportunities.

Transgender students often experience bullying, causing them to have higher levels of

depression and rates of suicide (Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek, 2015, para 6). So already, the

transgender population is being set back from negative feedback given to them by society.

Bullying is more common during high school, and if these students are not given the opportunity

in competitive sports, it may seem as though nothing is going for them, harming their self-image

more. Furthermore, transgender students also have elevated dropout rates, which ultimately

affects their future careers and employment (Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek). With all of the

negative aspects in the lives of transgender people, sports and athletics can positively combat the

negativity and benefit them in the long run. With participating in sports, athletes are able to

create self-esteem and self-respect, and sports facilitate social interaction and help build a sense

of community and teaches participants how to deal with adversity (Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek,

2015, para 2). With being allowed to participate in athletics, transgender people will be given a

chance to develop along with the rest of the population and have the chance to thrive as well.

Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek’s (2015) work was selected because of the research from the

positive and negative aspects of competitive sports, but more importantly the affects that sports

have on the lives of athletes after competition. I have learned that through athletics and an equal

opportunity, transgender athletes will benefit much like cisgender athletes and will help them

overcome some of the negative feedback given when they become transgender.
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Transgender Discrimination1

In the second source that was used for research, Kayla Acklin (2017) explores the

discrimination faced by the transgender population and why athletics have an important role in

the social interactions between transgender and cisgender people. Acklin also highlights how

there are no current federal laws governing transgender participation, which has caused an

inconsistency among different state athletic policies. To possibly combat this inconsistency, the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 is mentioned to promote equal participation for transgender athletes.

Within society there is also a common misconception that being transgender is related to sexual

orientation, which has caused some states to be hesitant when discussing policy changes. The

source also speaks on the concerns from society that transgender girls have competitive

advantages over cisgender girls because of biological make-up. Although this is a false

accusation, transgender athletes are often restricted or completely excluded from competition.

This source from Acklin emphasizes the discrimination found against transgender people

and athletes. It is common to find discrimination against transgender people due to stereotypes

that prove to put transgender people behind the rest of the population. With transgender people

experiencing discrimination, it hasn’t helped as they become athletes as well. Acklin highlights

the fact that since there is no federal law stating transgender athletes get the same equal

opportunity for competition, it is found that the athletes opportunity to participate are

“determined by the state in which he or she resides” (Acklin, 2017, Para 6). So, this leaves the

question up to the state policies that are intact, and considering some conservative states such as

Texas, competition for transgender athletes have come under some controversy.
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Acklin’s article and Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek’s article agree by providing examples

that competition for transgender athletes has been unfair. Both sources highlight that current

policies are only discriminating the participation of transgender athletes in competition. While

Acklin’s article highlights the NCAA trying to help local policies, Mahoney, Dodds, & Polasek’s

article emphasizes the School Success and Opportunity Act. Both articles use these examples so

that the audience can go back and use these influences to change the policy for transgender

participation. If the examples are to be used, there is a chance that transgender participation will

see an increase, but also start to feel a sense of inclusion.

Sport and Transgender People

Jones, Arcelus, Bouman, and Haycraft (2017), explored the gap that remains

between transgender athletes and competition. Current policies in certain states, continue to

make competition for transgender athletes discriminatory by not letting them participate at all.

Not only do transgender athletes often find themselves out of competition, some policies only

allow them to participate in the gender division that their birth certificate states. This has risen

awareness for a change in policy so that transgender athletes are fully allowed to participate in

competitive sports, but to also have the opportunity to participate in the gender division in which

they identify. This source was chosen due to the overview it had on the topic of the transgender

population in sports. After the study was completed, the authors’ results were, “In relation to

sport-related physical activity, this review found the lack of inclusive and comfortable

environments to be the primary barrier to participation for transgender people” (Jones, Arcelus,

Bouman, & Haycraft, 2017, Para 1). This concludes that the source believes that the way policy
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currently stands needs to change so that the environment within sports is more accepting of

transgender athletes so that the athletes feel safe and welcome.

Jones, Arcelus, Bouman, & Haycraft’s article is very similar to Mahoney, Dodds,

& Polasek’s article in the way that both use the International Olympic Committee to push

participation of transgender athletes if proper medical paperwork is evident. In Jones, Arcelus,

Bouman, & Haycraft, it was said that “International Olympic Committee announced that

transgender people could participate in all future Olympic games providing they had fully

medically transitioned” (Jones, Arcelus, Bouman, & Haycraft, 2017, Para 5). In Mahoney,

Dodds, & Polasek (2015), the IOC was explained that they required “transgender athletes to

undergo a full sex-change operation and hormone therapy before being eligible for the

Olympics” (Para 8), this explains that the transgender athletes were allowed to participate, but all

that needed to be done was provide confirmation on their change. With the policy by the IOC, it

should be adopted by the individual states that are still having difficulty finding an appropriate

policy.

Jones, Arcelus, Bouman, & Haycraft also agree with the article written by Acklin. Both

sources emphasize the negative experiences when transgender athletes participate in competitive

sports, when having to compete in the wrong gender division. In the article by Jones, Arcelus,

Bouman, & Haycraft, transgender athletes often feel unsure about participating in competition

because of the discrimination they experience if they do, but if the correct changes occur to

policy it will give “students the ability to play sports on teams where they feel safe and

comfortable and not “broken”” (Para 7). In the article by Acklin, she highlights the fact that since

there is no federal law guaranteeing protection for transgender athletes, “it [is] incredibly

difficult for transgender youth athletes to successfully challenge discriminatory sports

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participation policies, so many do not even try” (Para 14). This conveys that since transgender

athletes don’t have protection under the law, they experience the process of participation

negatively.

Conclusion

In regard to the issue surrounding transgender athletes and competitive sports, I believe

there should be an overall change in the policy. Since there are so many different policies within

all of the states in the United States, some athletes in some states are experiencing discrimination,

while some athletes are given a fair chance. So, there should be a federal law that is put into place

so that transgender athletes across the country have the same opportunity and a fair opportunity.

All sources have given beneficial evidence to help the states that are currently behind in producing

a policy that enforces equal opportunity for transgender athletes.

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References

ACKLIN, K. L. (2017). "HURDLING" GENDER IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION: THE

IMPLICATIONS OF STATE PARTICIPATION POLICIES ON TRANSGENDER YOUTH

ATHLETES' ABILITY TO THRIVE. Boston College Journal Of Law & Social Justice, 37(1),

107-145.

Jones, B., Arcelus, J., Bouman, W., & Haycraft, E. (2017). Sport and Transgender People:

A Systematic Review of the Literature Relating to Sport Participation and Competitive Sport

Policies. Sports Medicine, 47(4), 701-716. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0621-y

Mahoney, T. Q., Dodds, M. A., & Polasek, K. M. (2015). Progress for Transgender

Athletes: Analysis of the School Success and Opportunity Act. JOPERD: The Journal Of Physical

Education, Recreation & Dance, 86(6), 45-47. doi:10.1080/07303084.2015.1054202