Megan Rapinoe, two-time World Cup champion and former Golden Ball winner, has championed the inclusion of transgender athletes in the sport as more governing bodies, including FIFA and World Athletics. , consider stricter restrictions on the participation of trans people.
Warning: This article contains a discussion of suicide.
Key points:
- Megan Rapinoe says sports governing bodies enacting general bans on trans athletes are “cruel” and “disgusting”
- The former Golden Ball winner says there is no evidence to support far-reaching bans, as many sports already have regulations for elite-level trans athletes.
- Some U.S. states have enacted laws that require school-age girls to receive genital exams if they are “suspected” of being trans.
Speaking to Time magazine on Monday, Rapinoe said much of the decision-making of governing bodies that excluded trans people was misinformed and that the reason for the general bans was unethical and not supported by evidence.
Her comments come when FINA, the governing body of world swimming, voted to further restrict trans women from competing in elite competitions.
“I’m 100% in favor of trans inclusion,” Rapinoe said.
“People don’t know much about it. We miss almost everything. Frankly, I think what a lot of people know are versions of [political] the discussion points on the right, because they are very strong, very consistent, and relentless.
“At the highest level, there are regulations. In collegiate sport, there are regulations, and at the Olympic and professional level. It’s not like it’s free for everyone where everyone does whatever it is.
“Show me the evidence that trans women are taking scholarships from everyone, they’re dominant in every sport, they’re winning every title. I’m sorry, it’s just not happening.
“So we have to start with inclusion, period. And as things turn out, I’m confident we’ll be able to figure it out. But we can’t start the other way around. That’s cruel. And frankly, it’s disgusting.
“We really need to take a step back and control what we’re really talking about here because people’s lives are at risk. Children’s lives are at risk with suicide rates, depression rates and negative mental health and drug abuse.
“We are [framing] all through ‘God forbid a Trans Person to Succeed in Sport’. Take reality and take a step back. “
Rapinoe, who plays alongside Canadian women’s national team and non-binary trans footballer Quinn at NWSL club OL Reign, has used her high-profile platform to advocate for social causes for several years.
She was the first footballer in the world to kneel in solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick, she was a leader in the U.S. women’s national team fight for equal pay, and she regularly uses interviews and awards speeches. to shed light on issues affecting the LGBTQIA + community. , of which it is part.
“I don’t just speak for myself,” he said. “I speak on behalf of many people.
“For a long time, I was the only player who was ‘out’. So just being the only spokesperson and making sure I’m setting the right example, saying the right things, whether it’s of gay marriage as difficult, and nuanced issues such as trans inclusion in sport.
“These are the challenges of continuing to train.
“Nothing is said. Speak clearly. And I will speak it out loud, and I think that helps other people who may not have the ability to do it, or who are not yet in a place to do it. “
Megan Rapinoe’s teammate Quinn (right), who won an Olympic gold medal with Canada in Tokyo, came out as non-binary and trans in 2020. (AP: Fernando Vergara)
The United States is facing its own account regarding the inclusion of trans people in sports, with several states controlled by Republicans banning trans people from all sports, despite not being able to provide evidence to support it. while others have passed laws requiring “suspected” schoolgirls to be trans to receive genital physical exams to “prove” that their gender presentation matches their biological sexual characteristics.
For Rapinoe, these general sports laws not only disproportionately affect an already marginalized community, but also feed a discourse where success in elite sport takes precedence over the rights and freedoms of trans people.
“I think people also have to understand that sport isn’t the most important thing in life, right? Life is the most important thing in life,” he said.
“And much of this trans inclusion argument has been put through the extremely small lens of elite sports. That’s not the way to ask that question.
“We are talking about children. We are talking about people’s lives. We are talking about the whole government facing one child in some states, three children in some states.
“They’re committing suicide because they’re told they’re dirty and different, evil and sinful, and they can’t play sports with the friends they grew up with. It’s monstrous.
“I would also encourage anyone who is afraid that someone has an unfair advantage over their child to step back and think, ‘What are we really talking about here?’
“We’re talking about people’s lives. I’m sorry, your high school kid’s volleyball team isn’t that important. It’s no more important than a child’s life.”