Megan Rapinoe, alongside other prominent athletes including WNBA legend Sue Bird, has called on the NCAA to continue allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. This appeal came in response to pressures on the NCAA to enact restrictions similar to those recently adopted by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
The group, which includes several notable names from women’s soccer and basketball, expressed their stance through a letter organized by Athlete Ally, an LGBTQ advocacy group. The letter was a direct counter to calls from over a dozen Republican lawmakers who have urged the NCAA to ban transgender athletes, particularly focusing on the case of Lia Thomas, the first transgender woman to win an NCAA national title.
Rapinoe and her peers argue that excluding transgender athletes would undermine the inclusivity and fairness that sports are supposed to promote. The letter emphasized that the real issues facing women’s sports are not about transgender participation but rather problems like unequal pay, lack of resources compared to men’s sports, and the rampant sexual abuse and harassment that female athletes face.
The letter also highlighted the positive impact of sport as a transformative power that should be accessible to all, including transgender athletes. By potentially barring these athletes, the NCAA would be restricting their member institutions’ ability to protect and support all athletes under their care.
In their communication, the athletes also criticized the framing of bans against transgender athletes as a protection of women’s sports. They stated that these bans do not speak for all female athletes nor do they provide any real protection. Instead, they called for support and solidarity with transgender athletes who fear being sidelined from the sports they love.
The involvement of high-profile athletes like Rapinoe and Bird adds significant public attention and support to the ongoing debate over the role of transgender athletes in competitive sports. Their advocacy reflects a broader movement within sports and society, promoting inclusion and fairness for all athletes regardless of gender identity.