You Play Like a Girl: Why Banning Trans Athletes Hurts All Women

By Jordan Mayfield, LSCSW, LCAC

The assault on trans rights has heated up significantly in the last several months, with many states introducing anti-trans legislation. Here in Kansas, a ban on trans women playing in women’s sports will be implemented at the beginning of the 2023 academic year. This legislation which was three years in the making only impacts three student athletes across the entire state. The anti-trans legislators are so gung-ho about this law that they are willing to subject ALL children to genital inspections as a criterion to participate in school sports.

Why are Kansas legislators so concerned about a literal non-issue that impacts only three athletes? Because this is the first step toward silencing and erasing trans people in our communities. What are some actual issues that Kansas legislators could be focusing on that impact kids?

· Kansas youth suicide is up 63.8% since 2016, equal to 21.3 kids per 100,000. (Kansas Health Institute)

· Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Kansas. (Everytown)

· In 2020, there were 1,749 teen births in Kansas. (Power to Decide)

· 6,261 children were in foster care in the state of Kansas in 2022. (Foster Care Capacity)

· In 2008, 13 Kansas children were murdered as the result of abuse they were experiencing. (Kansas.gov)

· Approximately 140,860 Kansas children are living in environments where their parent or caregiver uses substances, and an estimated 5,155 Kansas infants are born exposed to substances every year. Recent data show Kansas has had increases in drug overdoses and deaths that are higher than the national average. (Office of Justice Programs)

These areas of focus would be worthwhile for Kansas legislators to focus on instead of using their power and authority to further oppress and discriminate against an already disenfranchised group. Unfortunately, I have heard from people I would have considered liberal support the trans women in sports ban. However, their stance is not based on any data or science. So, here are the data:

Banning trans women in sports hurts all women. It is in direct violation of Title IX which is supposed to prohibit discrimination based on sex in public education institutions. This ban impacts cis women and girls, because it opens the door for cis girls/women to experience their own additional discrimination based on an erroneous bias that they might be too masculine, tough, good, etc. to be a “real woman.” Not to mention enduring invasive testing to determine their “gender.” It is DANGEROUS for trans women and girls because it forces them to be outed as trans which is a significant safety issue. Transgender individuals are four times more likely to be murdered than cis gendered individuals and black trans women are seven times more likely. (Yes magazine) Additionally, it promotes gendered stereotypes that women and girls need “protection” and are “weak.” The idea of not allowing trans woman in sports is rooted in misogyny. It promotes the idea that a woman who is at the top of her sport cannot be competitive with an average man.

Trans athletes do not have an unfair advantage. Trans girls are 22% more likely to drop out of school than their cis counterparts due to being harassed and discriminated against. It is completely uneducated and misguided to say that trans individuals have an advantage over cis individuals in any facet of their lives. But do you know who does have an unfair advantage in school sports? Rich people. And most commonly rich white people. According to Mass Mutual the average cost of one child athlete is $693 per year. However, for elite sports such as gymnastics, lacrosse, and hockey the average is $12,000 per year, per athlete. This does not include private lessons or coaching that gives an additional advantage and are very costly. If we are truly trying to “equal the playing field” than shouldn’t this glaring discrepancy be taken into consideration?

If anti-trans in sports advocates were actually concerned with fairness than they are looking at the wrong data. As stated above rich people have an advantage in sports competitions. Tall people have an advantage (depending on the sport). Short people have an advantage (depending on the sport). Weight, genetics, and health all also influence advantage of one person over another in sports. There is no way to fully equalize any playing field and scapegoating trans kids does not equate to fairness. If it were factually accurate to say that trans girls/women have an advantage over cis girls/women then there would have to be data to show that trans athletes beat cis athletes at sports in a systematic way, and this data do NOT exist.

Trans women ARE women and that fact alone should be enough to allow them to compete. The concept of gender dysphoria is when a person's genitalia at birth is different from what gender they are. “When research has been conducted in people with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, a condition where the testosterone receptor is mutated and faulty and thus cannot function, gender dysphoria is observed as the body is genetically male but anatomically female. It is known that the structure of male and female brains differs; it is found that people with gender dysphoria have a brain structure more comparable to the gender to which they identify” (National Library of Medicine). Once a woman is able to begin hormone therapy to rectify and affirm this, their body follows suit. “For trans women, that means growing breasts, thinning body hair, changes to their emotions, shifting body fat into an "hourglass" shape, and – most relevantly to sports – drops in muscle mass and strength” (Independent).

Research indicates “athletic performance improved among trans men and declined among trans women.” Additionally, decrease in strength and worsening of run times was found in trans women on hormone replacement therapy for twelve months (British Journal of Sports Medicine). Lia Thomas, trans woman swimmer has recently been in the news for winning the NCAA Championship in the 500-yard freestyle race. While she won this particular race she came in fifth in the 200-yard race, and eighth in the 100-yard race, all of which were against cis women. This is just one example of how trans women in sports do not systematically dominate the competition and cis women can competitively compete alongside them (Independent).

The idea that trans women should not compete in women’s sports is an idea built on sexism and promoted out of fear. Banning trans women athletes hurts all women, because it supports the idea that women are weak and need safeguarding. Not allowing trans women in sports due to perceived advantages distracts us from actual inequities in sports due to economics and access. The trans sports ban is a political ploy to rally the conservative base and a jumping off point to erase trans individuals from society.