On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court gave states a path to enact laws banning transgender students from participating in school sports teams according to their gender identity, a decision that LGBTQ advocacy groups say could prompt further restrictions across the country.
Neither Maryland nor Virginia currently has a statewide ban on trans student-athletes, but advocates say the decisions could change future legislative battles and school policy across the region.
Immediately after the incident, Lawyers for Trans Student Athletes spoke out about this incident and how harmful it was to students.
“This ruling is extremely harmful to transgender women and girls who wanted nothing more than to be able to participate in sports with their peers,” Sasha Butchert, senior attorney and director of Lambda Legal’s Nonbinary and Transgender Rights Project, said in a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The next step is to figure out how each state, especially Maryland and Virginia, will move forward.
At this time, neither state bans transgender athletes from their schools. The new Supreme Court ruling also does not require states to enact bans, saying they are only allowed if states or school districts choose to enforce them.
Since 2020, 27 states have banned transgender youth from participating in school sports, according to the ACLU. Most of these states also require gender testing, which the ACLU argues is invasive for all female athletes.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahman said she has heard a lot of frustration following the decision, but people are ready to take action.
“Families, parents, and young people have experienced disappointing changes to the Virginia Department of Education’s model policy on the treatment of transgender students and the Virginia High School League’s decades-old policy that allowed transgender students the opportunity to play sports with their friends,” Rahman said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
She believes they are not ready to give up this fight yet.
For now, transgender and non-binary students are protected under Virginia law, and Rahman hopes that continues.
“This ruling is likely to give the right-wing members of the General Assembly the momentum to push for a ban on transgender athletes, and we will continue to reject every bill, as we have done in the past five Congresses. Now is the time to be proactive,” Rahman said.
She also called on Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to protect Virginia’s transgender youth from what she described as bullying and continue to stand up against federal attacks on the trans community at large.
Rahman wants trans students to continue to realize that they belong and have a place in school sports.
“To the transgender youth watching this decision unfold: You are part of your team, your school, your community, and here in Virginia. This decision does not change that. One Supreme Court decision cannot determine your worth or your future,” Rahman said.
For those who may be outside of the community but want to help, she recommends talking to transgender and non-binary people in the community, befriending the young person’s family to show support, and continuing to speak out about these issues if needed.
According to ACLU Virginia high school student Eliza Mansi was told she couldn’t join the women’s track and field team because she was transgender. To prove her point, she decides to compete with the boys.
She competed on the girls’ track and field team before the Virginia school decided to implement a ban requested by President Donald Trump. With pink hair and pink makeup, she decided to continue her love of sports with the boys. Munshi said the entire community rallied behind her.
“I did it to prove a point. I knew I could do it. I knew it wouldn’t phase me. My gender itself and that label weren’t the most important thing in my transition. I want to look the way I want to look. I want to dress the way I want to wear. If I don’t like it, it’s not my job,” Munshi said.
DOE launches Title IX investigation into Maryland school district
In the weeks leading up to the ruling, multiple school districts in Maryland came under Title IX investigation for failing to implement gender-based protections guaranteed under federal law. There is no update on the lawsuit or the district’s decision at this time.
The U.S. Department of Education said the federal investigation was based on complaints by parents that the district was violating certain additions to Title IX by the Trump-Vance administration, aligning gender-based protections “with biological reality rather than ideological fantasy.”
Free State Justice, a Maryland LGBTQ advocacy group, said that while it was a disappointing decision, they will continue to fight for trans student-athletes in Maryland and want transgender youth to know they belong.
Philip Westley, the group’s executive director, said: “All young people deserve the opportunity to participate in school and community life without being excluded because of who they are. This decision sends a harmful message to transgender young people that somehow they don’t deserve those opportunities.”
Westley wants the community to know that the organization’s commitment remains the same and will continue to provide the same legal services and advance policy solutions so that “all LGBTQ+ Marylanders can live with dignity, safety, and equal opportunity.”
Another issue raised by transgender advocates is the issue of tests to determine whether a woman is biologically female.
According to Human Rights WatchAs of 2023, World Athletics will require cis women with elevated testosterone levels to undergo medical treatment to lower their levels to avoid any benefits. “” in other formatsgender verification” may include genetic testing, screening of the athlete’s anatomy or chromosomes.
However, this can be harmful because not all women have ovaries, a uterus, or XX chromosomes. That means cisgender women could also be subject to these bans, depending on how specific states plan to enforce them.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
