If sports are meant to cultivate a sense of mutual respect and equality, what does it say when we don’t invite everyone onto the playing field?

Bills like L.D. 926 leave the door open for adults and youth alike to think of trans youth as less than or other than their cisgender peers, marginalizing an already-vulnerable population further. According to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, LGBTQ youth are more likely to be bullied and less likely to have supportive adults in their life.

Nationally, in a recent survey by the Trevor Project, 52 percent of transgender youth report considering suicide, while the same survey also demonstrates that when transgender youths’ gender identities are reaffirmed, their mental health substantially improves. L.D. 926 might seem like it’s protecting youth when, in fact, it is sending harmful messages that can have very real, life-threatening consequences.

Bills like L.D. 926 not only tell trans youth they don’t belong, but they also send a harmful, reductive message to all about body types, abilities and gender, as if all children experience puberty the same way and have equal physical prowess based on sex alone. Bills like L.D. 926 narrow our definition of humanity when what we should be doing is welcoming everyone on to our team.

By discriminating against trans girls, we rob our children of the opportunity to learn from and understand one another while growing as a community. When trans youth miss out, we all miss out.

Rylan Hynes
Waterville

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