Commentary on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in sport from a long-time educator and advocate for social justice in sports. I am also author of Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely mine and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization with which I am affiliated.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Including Transgender Athletes on School Teams: A Story We Will Hear More Often
Outsports.com has just posted a story about a player on the George Washington University women’s basketball team who identifies as a man. The story is Kye Allums’ public coming out as a transgender man. The team and coach have known of and accepted Kye’s transition for awhile. It’s a great story of a school, coach and team making room for a transgender athlete and trying to do it in a way that is respectful to everyone involved.
I wonder if Kye Allums, the rest of the women's basketball team, and GW are ready for the hailstorm of hate that will be coming their way. Just look back at the vile verbal attacks Baylor's Brittney Griner had to bear last season. Hoops season is just beginning; I hope it goes well for all concerned.
ReplyDeleteThis was all over the local TV news yesterday (in DC)...I saw stories on 2 of the stations. Here's one, and I spologize for not embedding the link. The news reporting was respectful, though at least one reporter couldn't quite grasp the he/she switch.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/sports/george-washington-university-transgender-player-deals-with-wave-of-publicity-110310
Pat,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I've been really interested in this student's case since he first came out in the media. It's nice timing with several other stories including your NCLR report. I've finally had the chance to sit down and thoroughly read as I am preparing a presentation for Dr. Sydnor's KIN 249 Sport and Modern Society course that I TA. I think the report is great! So glad to finally see your thoughts after that Think Tank and am glad so many organizations are on board.
Thanks for all the work you and the rest of the contributors have done!