From Seed to Blossom: Supporting Queer and Trans Youth

People’s Light

Lex will be giving the keynote address and facilitating his workshop, “Trans in Athletics: Inclusion & ‘Fairness’?” on Monday, November 18th, 2024.

Register here!

Trans in Athletics: Inclusion and What Does It Mean to Be Fair?

Session Description:

Misinformation and disinformation are driving fear and discrimination of the trans athletes, primarily transfeminine people. We will understand how to approach the “debate” based on current legal, medical, and scientific knowledge, dismantling two core misconceptions, which are rooted in transmysogynoir and
cissexism. Participants will leave with tools to engage in dialogue on the “debate”, in addition to best practices for supporting and advocating for non-binary and trans athletes at individual and institutional levels. Participants will gain foundational information on gender, leaving with next steps and tangible tools to put best practices into action to better support and advocate for non-binary and transgender people in athletics.

Within athletics, over half of LGBTQ+ individuals do not feel safe or supported by their coaches, trainers, and teammates (GLSEN, 2021). Especially now, non-binary and transgender athletes' inclusion and participation in athletics are being threatened by anti-trans legislation across the nation. It is critical that every individual has access to the current scientific, legal, social, and medical research that supports the inclusion of non-binary, transgender, and intersex athletes in sports.

We must intentionally cultivate athletic spaces that are welcoming, safe, and supportive of LGBTQ+ people. This requires us to have foundational knowledge/language to be able to engage in the conversation, paired with tangible tools and best practices that we can use to be allies in action. This workshop equips participants with the knowledge and the tools needed to effectively create affirming spaces within athletics to better support their LGBTQ+ athletes and peers.

Session Goals:

  1. Understand assumptions, interactions and barriers that uniquely impact the experience of non-binary, trans, gender diverse, and intersex people in athletics

  2. Leave with peer reviewed resources/data and talking points to effectively engage in conversation on trans and intersex athletes that support inclusion (from a place of empowerment)

  3. Further engage in and/or develop advocacy strategies for supporting non-binary, trans and intersex athletes

Some content areas include:

Break down of gender by separately addressing: 

  • Gender identity

  • Gender expression

  • Sex assigned at birth / affirming sex

  • Defining cisgender and transgender

  • Defining gender roles and stereotypes and gender attribution

Objectives:

  • Gain an inclusive and affirming understanding of gender

  • Critically think about areas of improvement to better support non-binary and transgender people in athletics

  • Leave with next steps and tangible tools to put best practices into action in our communities


Takeaways:

  • Best practices on how to ensure that everyone is proactively cultivating an inclusive, affirming, and safe environment where all LGBTQIA+ people are welcomed and thriving

 
 

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