Two transgender teen athletes navigate national firestorm
Controversy hits home
When M.L. walks the halls of her Riverside high school, the fact that her life is the subject of a swirling national debate is never far from mind. It’s spelled out on the T-shirts of kids all around her.
“SAVE GIRLS SPORTS,” read some. “WE’RE ALL EQUAL,” read others.
The dueling shirts provide a stark visual of what her schoolmates think about her competing on the girls’ cross-country and track teams. It’s made her feel both proud and anxious, she said — and a bit like being in a fishbowl.
M.L.’s right to compete in girls’ sports has been challenged, but she said she isn’t backing down. Here, she practices hurdles.
“A lot of people have said things, both good and bad,” said M.L., who is 16 and transgender. She asked to be identified only by initials because of the threats young athletes like her have faced nationwide. “It’s nerve-racking.”
Individual school hallways, sports fields and tracks like those at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, which M.L. attends, are the real front lines in the nation’s contentious battle over transgender athletes.
More than the White House, where President Trump issued an executive order Wednesday purporting to ban transgender girls from sports. Or the legislative halls of Washington or Sacramento, where bills propose similar bans. Or the Riverside Unified School Board, which heard its latest round of debate on the matter Thursday.
School is where the humanity of trans kids is most apparent, where their earnestness and fear are most palpable and where the sweeping pronouncements of people such as Trump about the supposed threat they pose can seem most alarmist and reductive.
“They’re attacking real kids and real families,” M.L.’s mother said. “Our kids are just trying to be themselves, and if anything, they’re the ones that should be afraid of all the hate.”
M.L. said she has felt buoyed by the support she’s received from her school administrators — for which the school is being sued — and from many of her classmates. But she said it also feels as if the Trump administration is “putting a massive, unnecessary target” on the backs of kids like her, in part by suggesting it is “common sense” to conclude transgender kids simply don’t exist or that their only motivation for playing sports is to dominate their cisgender classmates.
“I don’t think that anyone would put themselves through what we have to go through just to win,” she said.
Looking ahead
On Tuesday, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta vowed to defend state educators and LGBTQ+ students against Trump’s threats. He said California laws protecting transgender students remain intact, and that his office will go to court to defend them if necessary.
The Riverside Unified School District has said it doesn’t make the laws in the state but intends to comply with them. The California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports in the state, has said similar.
But on Thursday, the NCAA, which governs college sports, announced that, pursuant to Trump’s order the previous day, it had updated its policies to bar transgender girls and women from competing in women’s collegiate sports. That night, the Riverside Unified school board met once more.
Limiting transgender students’ participation in sports was once again discussed, as was a “parental notification” policy that would require Riverside schools to share information about a child’s gender presentation with their parents even if the child requested privacy — which California law generally precludes.
Among those championing both policies was board member Amanda Vickers.
While anticipating correctly that her fellow board members would not advance the parental notification policy, Vickers said she hoped that “President Trump’s rules do come in and assist us.” And she said his executive order on transgender athletes “does instruct us to promptly apply” its rules, and that she was “excited to see how our district will do that to protect the rights of our female students.”
Conclusion
As the national debate over transgender athletes continues to rage, two Riverside high school students, M.L. and S.M., are navigating the complex and often hostile environment. Despite the challenges they face, they remain determined to compete and to be themselves.
Their stories serve as a reminder that transgender students are not just statistics or talking points in a political debate, but real people with hopes, dreams, and fears. They deserve our support, our understanding, and our respect.
FAQs
Q: What is the controversy surrounding transgender athletes?
A: The controversy surrounds the participation of transgender athletes in sports, particularly in high school and college. Some argue that transgender athletes have an unfair advantage due to their biological sex, while others argue that they should be allowed to compete as their identified gender.
Q: What is the current state of the law regarding transgender athletes?
A: The laws regarding transgender athletes vary by state and institution. Some states and institutions allow transgender athletes to compete as their identified gender, while others have restrictions or bans in place.
Q: What is the position of the Trump administration on transgender athletes?
A: The Trump administration has issued an executive order purporting to ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports. The order has been met with widespread criticism and legal challenges.
Q: What is the position of the NCAA on transgender athletes?
A: The NCAA has updated its policies to bar transgender girls and women from competing in women’s collegiate sports, effective immediately.
Q: What is the impact of the controversy on transgender students?
A: The controversy has had a significant impact on transgender students, who are facing increased bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Many are also feeling anxious and uncertain about their ability to participate in sports and be themselves.
