Whether or not trans athletes need to compete in sports has become a huge topic of conversation and political discussion among several people who think that trans athletes shouldn’t compete in sports.
University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines went to Capital Hill to discuss whether or not trans athletes like Lia Thomas should have their own space when competing.
Gaines described to Congress what it was like to change in front of Thomas and how uncomfortable it was for her. Although Thomas considers herself a transgender woman, she has not had her gender reassignment surgery yet.
Gaines’s issue doesn’t seem to be Thomas competing but about her and other female athletes’ right to privacy. Gaines thinks that maybe there should be a separate dressing area for trans athletes.
The trans community has faced a lot of criticism of late especially from the Right who are making the same arguments to a certain extent that Gaines is making.
But unlike Gaines, a lot of politicians on the right want to ban trans athletes from competing in any kind of sport and several states like Ohio and Alabama want to limit the care that transgender teens receive. It is now a crime in the state of Alabama if a transgender child were to receive medical help from a doctor.
However, a federal judge did strike down the same law in Arkansas, which many see as a victory for trans rights.
This fight will continue on both sides of the aisle for years to come.
