FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2023

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CONTACT: Ali Mayeda, media@equalityfederation.org

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Equality Federation Leader Speaks Out on Trans Youth Participation in Sports

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The Biden administration has issued new proposed regulations under Title IX, the federal civil rights law, stating that schools cannot categorically ban transgender students from joining athletic teams consistent with their gender identity.

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The regulations are a response to a coordinated nationwide effort to erase trans people from public life, including 64 bills seeking to bar transgender students athletes from participating in school sports. Since 2021, 20 states have banned trans student athletes from participating in school sports.

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Equality Federation Executive Director Fran Hutchins had the following comment on the proposed regulations:

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“Discrimination has no place in our schools, and that includes in the gym and on the field. Kids learn many essential lessons from sports, including leadership, confidence, the value of hard work, and what it means to be part of a team. Blanket bans on transgender students participating in sports send a dangerous message to trans youth, and contribute to the discrimination they already face.

“For generations of student athletes, Title IX has made an essential promise that they will not face discrimination based on their sex or gender. This promise has been broken for trans youth in at least 20 states. The proposed regulations make it clear that blanket bans on trans student athletes violate federal law.

“Trans students need meaningful and enforceable protections so that they can participate in the same activities that their peers benefit from. Equality Federation members look forward to engaging with the Biden administration to broaden the proposed regulations and ensure equal opportunity for all students to participate in sports, free from discrimination. And, we will continue fighting for a world where all children are free to thrive and be themselves.”

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Equality Federation is an advocacy accelerator rooted in social justice, building power in our network of state-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) advocacy organizations. 

https://www.equalityfederation.org/

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