Transgender Athletes in High School Sports

Some of them even lose identity as well as close ties and relationships because of their status. Despite the ongoing campaigns and awareness fostered in the sports circles, athletes with alternative gender identities are not in a better position to compete with others. Over the years, the transgender community has been viewed and referred under the same canopy of lesbians, gay, and bisexuals. Transgender is widely disregarded, and there is no adequate research on the same in sports psychology. It is important to note that sexual identity and gender identity are two different things hence the need to treat this group as a diverse community rather than lumping them as a minority group under LGBT. Sex- This is the classification of individuals based on the physical characteristics of their reproductive system.

Sex is assigned at birth based on several features that either identifies an individual as either male or female II. Gender- This is the connection between psychological and physical attributes that are used to perceived femininity or masculinity. III. Gender identity- this is a personal experience of gender which might either be the same or different from the one assigned at birth. These allow the provision of opportunities under the confinement of institutional resources. Stringent measures exist in regulating sports performance due to use of banned enhancing drugs and hence cannot be used in the high school setting. Additionally, high school students are in the process of physical development, and this should be taken into account when developing policies. Lastly, these students are imperiled by various medical procedures which are not similar to the ones subjected to professional athletes.

The outlined factors above show the need to formulate policies that best suite high school settings (Anderson, 2018). Other professional athletes who have been in the limelight for not so good reasons such Fallon Fox- a mixed martial arts fighter, cross fit competitor Chloe Jonsson and Keelin Godsey a hammer thrower. These highlighted the challenges gender non-conforming athletes face in sports. 2015 was a significant year to the transgender community. Bruce Jenner, a former Olympic champion in decathlon announced that she would transit to Caitlin. Dutte Chand, a pro from Indian appealed a ban by Athletics Federation in her country because her testosterone levels had been deemed unnaturally high to be allowed to compete as a woman. II. The policies that are formulated should foster honesty, respect, fair play and preserve the integrity of the sport.

They should also embrace diversity while celebrating differences in the sporting field. III. Guidelines that advocate for the participation of trans athletes should allow access and equitable participation of all contestants. On the other hand, others will choose to conform to taking surgeries to transition their bodies medically Concerns have been raised on if trans-athletes have prejudiced advantage over the rest of their counterparts. On one hand, experts argue that a male should not participate in female related activities if there is provision for male activities. One clear distinction that differentiates females and females is the hormones. Ladies have high estrogen levels while men have high testosterone levels. Males who identify as females might have an undue advantage. This research is however comprehensive of loopholes since it did not address issues such as if changes in muscle strength within cisgender individuals were within the required ranges.

A research study conducted by Elbers and her team of researchers showed the effect of cross hormone treatment on transgender females which resulted in the depreciation of thigh muscles and formation of a more feminine pattern. This subsequent research study that aimed at addressing design such concerns failed to show the relationship between athletic ability and androgenic hormones (Jones et al. It is without any doubt that men are superior in sports performance as compared to the females. This is evident in the various records and set by competitors in those two categories. Trans-athletes should be thus be allowed to compete without any restrictions. Recommendations Outlined below are recommendation of policies and guidelines that organizations ought to embrace which will integrate the participation of transgender individuals in all school activities.

Schools should not wait for students to express their gender identity to adopt policies that will allow inclusion of transgender but rather formulate and adopt inclusive policies. This facilitates the creation of awareness among staff, participants and other competitors hence making the implementation of the policies smooth. These policies should be adopted in all school institutions as well as in the various athletic associations at different levels. Dress code Trans-athletes should be allowed to dress in ways that conform to their desired gender. The uniform should be gender neutral hence making the participants comfortable. The uniforms provided should also be appropriate for the sport engaged in without criticizing ones’ gender identity (Griffin et al. Access to facilities Trans-athletes should be allowed to use sports facilities such as changing rooms and lavatories that are in agreement with their indemnity.

In some instances, a spare private room might be provided if the student expresses the need to have a separate facility. Additionally, this serves as a benchmark on which the society can be modeled against practicing discriminatory practices that serve no good. Schools have been found to harbor harassment and violent expressions towards transgender individuals. The affected persons suffer from peer punishment and cyberbullying which makes them separate from social interaction. Failure to adopt inclusive policies suggests that the institution encourages hostility towards these individuals. Lastly, this does affect not only trans gender individuals but also cisgender students. Buzuvis, E. E. Transgender student-athletes and sex-segregated sport: Developing policies of inclusion for intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics.  Seton Hall J. Sports & Ent.  On the team: Equal opportunity for transgender student athletes.