House Bill 302, the bill proposing that transgender girls be banned from competing in sports from kindergarten through the 12th grade, is hateful, harmful, and completely contrary to its proponents claims that they are “defenders of freedom.”
Playing sports is something every human deserves to enjoy. Being part of a team, learning to win and lose alongside your peers, experiencing the camaraderie that manifests when working together and learning to push your own physical and mental limits are all significant experiences to human development.
Perhaps even more useful for so many girls growing up in our patriarchal culture, playing sports helps them feel the power of their own body. Through sport, your body is not something simply to be commented on or critiqued, but rather a force that can achieve heroic feats. A body is every person’s unique and ultimate gift.
This bill would deny a small but highly vulnerable portion of our population these valuable experiences.
Passing this bill would be deeply damaging and potentially deadly for a group of individuals already struggling to belong and survive. Studies report 30% to 50% percent of transgender and non-binary kids attempt suicide at some time in their life.
This is where unfounded fears of what might happen crash violently into the wall of what is actually happening: Kids are dying. What if the friendship of a teammate or the close mentorship of a caring coach could save their life?
If this bill is about competitive advantages, consider this:
Sports are often touted as the great equalizer — a level playing field for all — but this has never been the case. Every player comes with their own set of advantages and disadvantages, whether they are physical, economic or cultural. The equality is in the opportunity to play. Everyone should have the right to entry.
For those worried about the athletic advantages of transgender girls and women, the numbers don’t add up. Transgender athletes have been competing in sports for decades, yet there is no evidence that shows a domination by transgender girls — at any level. Nowhere has it been “the end of women’s sports.”
The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) already has rules and standards in place that address this issue. Their rules allow for a male to female transgender student athlete to compete on a girls team under certain eligibility circumstances. Although the amended bill no longer applies to college-level sports, the NCAA has already addressed this, too.
This bill is hateful and discriminatory.
Why is it only aimed at transgender girls? If transgender boys can enjoy the benefits of sports, then this bill is not about keeping biological competitive categories separate, but an opportunity to punish transgender girls and women by stirring up fear around a problem that doesn’t exist.
If you believe sports are good for cisgender girls, then you must understand that they are good for transgender girls, too. This bill is nothing but a hateful attack on transgender girls and a denial of their right to dignity, humanity, and health.
The greatest benefits of sport don’t come from simply winning, and the great majority of kids in sports are not participating to reach the elite level. They are there to play and feel included, to make friends, to learn about risks and rewards. Everyone deserves the right to their own pursuit of personal growth.
The greatest loss of all would be to let fear and hate win. Let kids play.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, speaks at a Black Lives Matter protest at City Hall Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.
State Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, represents District 26 in the Utah House of Representatives