Opinion: As debate rages on about trans athletes in school sports, the kids always lose

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The storm over transgender individuals in women’s sports is exposing elements of inexcusable hurt and willing ignorance that invariably show up when emotion laps reason.

The losers in this fevered rhetoric are trans kids, who are subjected to bullying, shunning and violence that leads, as it only can, to mental anguish. Successful attempts at suicide by trans kids have spiked to twice that of cisgender youths, according to data compilations from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But concern over marginalizing young trans kids is muted in all this. Instead, those who would exclude trans individuals have hijacked the word “fair” in rationalizing the rank discrimination they promote, with most unaware the number of trans athletes in sport is in the microscopic range.

A 2022 report by UCLA’s law school estimated that of 332 million Americans, only 1.3 million adults and 300,000 teenagers identify as transgender.

While privacy laws prevent an exact count, medical physicist and noted researcher of trans issues, Joanna Harper, says she’d be surprised if 100 public school trans students play varsity sport. Some 3.4 million American teen girls are in athletics.

The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education and the American Psychological Association support trans inclusion. In its 2020 Bostock decision, the U.S. Supreme Court said discrimination that’s based on sexual orientation and gender identity violates the Civil Rights Act.

However, in 2022 Utah banned trans girls from women’s sports despite the entire state having only one known case. Another Utah law bans gender-affirming therapy, despite expert consensus — and a legislative study — showing its benefits.

Two dozen states followed in banning gender-affirming care, like hormone therapy and puberty blockers that major medical and mental health associations say is vital and often life-saving for trans kids. Regardless, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 this week to uphold a Tennessee therapy ban for minors.

Testosterone-suppressing therapy is seen by the International Olympic Committee and others as greatly reducing physical differences between trans and cisgender girls (the IOC has a policy of trans inclusion by looking to science, not emotion). Bodily testosterone level is a measure of strength that’s naturally higher in post-puberty males than females, so reducing it in trans kids is key in what’s “acceptably fair” in women’s sport.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported last year that any supposed trans advantage in sport is slight after two years of hormone therapy.

Eighteen states have now banned trans individuals from women’s sports. Minnesota isn’t one. Its State High School League says a ban would violate state anti-discrimination laws. Republican legislators in Wisconsin and North Carolina approved ban bills, but their Democratic governors vetoed both. In February, President Donald Trump banned trans athletes in women’s sport by proclamation, and he’s now threatening investigating states — including Minnesota — with contrary policies.

All the Mad Hatter, vein-popping public discourse and efforts by elected adults in dozens of states, by school districts and even a U.S. president — along with scores of court cases — to address something involving a mere 0.0029% of school kids.

“But what about fairness? How would you like it,” said an otherwise rational friend in a frenzied fit of exaggeration, “if your daughter had to compete against a 200-pound athlete born male?”

In reality, what’s “fair” has many layers.

Our high school housed two large and fast football players who easily overran opponents and won every sprint in conference track, and few varsity boys wanted to face them. Athletic kids — including those who are trans — are of all sizes and ability, and success in sport comes down to the physically gifted, to those who coaches favor (a big one), and in pro sports to owners spending gobs on talent (Miami Marlins, 1997).

It’s well known that high schools “recruit” star players from other districts (and states) to field winning teams. So, is it fair that kids who work and dream to play varsity sport are left off teams because of an outside recruit? Of course not, and yet recruiting is widespread, certainly orders of magnitude more than trans athletes.

“But,” said the friend, “allowing trans in sport would ‘destroy’ women’s sports.” An absurd talking point that’s gaining traction. Again, the number of trans kids in all sport is so tiny that the Miesville Mudhens would have a better chance of taking down the Minnesota Twins.

The much larger concern is the mindless, shameful damage this controversy has poured on the mental health of trans kids. They, like all young people, simply want to be accepted as they naturally are.

If only decency and reason might prevail.

Ron Way lives in Minneapolis. He’s at ron-way@comcast.net.