Nonprofit Athlete Ally Fights for Trans Athletes

Sadly, politicians and anti-trans activists have turned stadiums and fields into battlegrounds over transgender athletes’ right to exist. As a part of the nationwide backlash against transgender people, 22 states have passed laws banning trans students from competing in sports aligned with their gender identity.  In April, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill that bars trans women and girls from competing in the game category that aligns with their chosen gender. Even sports regulatory bodies like World Athletics (which governs track and field competitions) have ruled to exclude transgender women from competing in women’s events.

Proponents of those bans claim they’re protecting women and ensuring fairness in sport. But LGBTQ+ advocates say there are only a few trans athletes even attempting to publicly compete at school sports. As a substitute, bans on transgender people’s rights primarily affect the security and well-being of trans people themselves. Based on The Trevor Project, 86 percent of transgender and nonbinary adolescents say that public debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health. Roughly 45 percent of trans youth report experiencing cyberbullying in consequence of recent anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and nearly one in three reported “not feeling secure to go to the doctor or hospital once they were sick or injured.”

“Just fascinated about the experiences that I’ve had, I believe it’s really heartbreaking that anyone could be denied access to the game that they love, or would feel like they should drop out of sports because they can not participate as who they’re.” – Joanna Hoffman, Director of Communications, Athlete Ally

Avid runner and longtime nonprofit organizer Joanna Hoffman knows first-hand the magic that may surround sports, which is why she’s dedicated her profession to fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. “I’ve been running my whole life,” says Hoffman. “Just fascinated about the experiences that I’ve had, I believe it’s really heartbreaking that anyone could be denied access to the game that they love, or would feel like they should drop out of sports because they can not participate as who they’re.”

Five years ago, this passion for athletic inclusivity led Hoffman to grow to be the director of communications for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization and advocacy group that goals to finish homophobia and transphobia in sports. The organization, which was founded by University of Maryland collegiate wrestler and activist Hudson Taylor, joins a rising network of groups that push for policy changes in sports in an effort to create a secure, welcoming environment for athletes of all backgrounds and orientations.

Based on Hoffman, the harm brought on by excluding young trans athletes goes beyond the devastating feelings of being unnoticed.

“It isolates them, it deprives them of the entire mental and physical advantages that sports brings, and we all know from research that when kids are a component of sports, their grades go up, their overall health goes up, they’re more more likely to be leaders later in life,” says Hoffman. “It changes the trajectory of a baby’s life once they’re in a position to take part in sports. Once they lose all of that access, they lose all of those advantages and people opportunities. And I believe just more devastating is the message it sends them, which is ‘you aren’t getting to exist here.'”

How Athlete Ally champions LGBTQ+ athletes

One in every of the first ways in which Athlete Ally seeks to alter the landscape of sports is thru education, says Hoffman. “We discover that usually the individuals who most must be educated about LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports are educated the least, so we try to fulfill that gap,” she says. In 2018, the nonprofit launched Champions of Inclusion, a web based video module curriculum for athletic departments that educates coaches and athletic leaders about issues facing LGBTQ+ athletes, plus ways in which they will foster a more inclusive environment for his or her teams.

Athlete Ally, which now has over 30 chapters of coaches and student-athletes across america, also hosts in-person training courses across the country at among the nation’s top colleges, universities, and sports institutions (NBA and MLB, simply to name just a few). At these trainings, led by Hoffman, Taylor, policy and program director Anne Lieberman, and director of research Dr. Anna Baeth, attendees study sexuality and gender, obstacles that queer and trans athletes face, and tips on how to implement sustainable, inclusive policies and practices.

The nonprofit also launched a first-of-its-kind rating system that judges collegiate athletic departments on their efforts to incorporate LGBTQ+ athletes of their sports programs. Called the Athletic Equality Index, this technique ranks institutions on several criteria, including if their athletic staff are required to take educational trainings and in the event that they have nondiscrimination policies in place that protect queer and trans athletes.

Beyond education, Athlete Ally has collected quite a few wins for inclusion in sports since its inception. The nonprofit launched the campaign Principle 6, which successfully pushed the International Olympic Committee to incorporate sexual orientation within the Olympic Charter (protecting LGBTQIA+ athletes from discrimination). The organization also works with trans athletes like powerlifter JayCee Cooper of their individual fights against discrimination. Earlier this yr, Cooper won a discrimination lawsuit against national powerlifting organization USAPL after a judge ruled it had violated Human Rights Act’s anti-discrimination statutes. Athlete Ally worked closely with Cooper’s legal team, Gender Justice, to craft a communications strategy surrounding her case.

Seeing high-profile coverage of trans athletes succeeding (on the playing field or in a courtroom) can instill hope in queer youth athletes, says Hoffman. “Once they see a victory like this, it tells them that they will proceed to play the game that they love, that they do not have to show away from sports, they do not have to make a horrible alternative of either being who they’re and having to depart sport, or having to be someone they are usually not simply to have the option to maintain playing.”

Continuing the fight for inclusivity in sports

While there’s still loads of work to be done within the fight for queer and trans rights, Athlete Ally is setting the stage for a brand new generation of informed, confident activists through youth outreach.  In mid-June, Athlete Ally hosted the Athlete Activism Summit in Seattle, Washington in partnership with Adidas and University of Washington Athletic Department. This week-long summit brought student athletes, coaches, and administrators together to have fun Pride Month through team-building activities and academic seminars.

Texas State University women’s basketball forward and graduate student Lauryn Thompson, 23, says that the summit left her feeling energized to proceed the fight for inclusivity in collegiate sports. Thompson, who founded TSU’s Black Student-Athlete Alliance organization, walked Seattle’s Pride parade for the primary time—right alongside Athlete Ally ambassadors.

“I used to be so excited to get out to the summit so I could connect with other like-minded student athletes and professionals who’re concerned about inclusiveness in sports,” says Thompson, who hopes that the intersectionality of marginalized groups stays on the forefront of conversations about sports equity. “I’m very encouraged and pushed to inform those who after we speak on inclusiveness, which means from all races, and all avenues, and all perspectives.”

Looking ahead, Hoffman says that strong allyship may help propel us toward a more inclusive playing field in sports. Effective allyship, says Hoffman, is the tie that binds marginalized athletes to those that have the legislative power to guard their human rights. Through education and community outreach,  Hoffman hopes that finally, trans athletes can take part in the magic of sports, too–without having to stifle their identities.

“It shouldn’t just be on LGBTQ folks to be that voice each time–we’d like allies,” says Hoffman. “We want allies not only during Pride month, but all the time.”