Today, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in two cases that confirm what we’ve always known: sports, just like transgender people’s rights, are more than a game.
Sports, especially for young people, have always been an avenue to be part of something bigger. Whether it’s through school, local leagues, or pickup games with friends, sports are one of the simplest, most accessible ways for all of us to find community, to be part of a team.
And, they teach us from a young age that when we work hard and work together, we win. That’s why these cases, and fighting for the T in our Team, is so important today.
While the issues in these cases are focused on the right of trans girls to play sports with their friends, the court risks further empowering a national and coordinated effort to push trans and gender diverse people out of public life altogether and, in the process, potentially undermining civil rights protections for all LGBTQ+ people.
And as we know, extremist politicians never stop at stripping lived and legal equality away from one group. The laws at issue limit the freedom of everyone to be ourselves. They’ve already led to the harassment of non-trans and intersex athletes, particularly Black women and girls, and normalize that kind of unacceptable treatment off the field.
No matter our backgrounds, we’re all on the same team, and when we fight as a team, we win as one, too.