Transgender and non-binary athletes, especially transgender female athletes, are under attack by politicians at all levels of government, as well as in the media. 2021 officially surpassed 2015 as the worst year for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in recent history, with 27 anti-LGBTQ bills enacted. This year is on track to surpass 2021 in anti-transgender legislation filed, with more than 75 bills that directly target transgender girls and women in sports and would prevent them from playing on the team that aligns with their gender identity.
These attacks on transgender youth generally, and transgender athletes specifically, are fueled by discrimination, not facts. These bills represent a cruel effort to further stigmatize and discriminate against LGBTQ+ people across the country, specifically transgender youth who simply want to live as their true selves and grow into who they are.
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a new video featuring male swimmer and the first openly transgender NCAA Division I athlete, Schulyer Bailar. In the video, Bailar breaks down several myths about transgender athletes, specifically transgender female athletes, that have gained wide-spread traction amid the surge in transgender sports-bans in state legislatures.
The full video can be viewed below:
