Transgender women have fought various battles throughout their lifetimes, and now, one more is being added to the repertoire. More and more states are passing bills that halt transgender women from being allowed onto women’s sports teams, claiming unfair advantage. 

According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Mark Brody, a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, first proposed the bill. It was called Bill 358, the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, affecting transgender middle school, high school, and college students across North Carolina. 

The same article describes some of the issues that would rise if the bill were passed. One example was a woman that was afraid her child would be outed after being denied participation in sports. Another was a woman with an transgender 8 year old, hoping she would be protected by the time she reached high school. 

The side that is in support of the bill claims that being assigned as male at birth gives you an unfair advantage over cisgender girls on the playing field. A simple solution is outlined in this article, the same that many Green Level English II students have recently read. 

The writers describe their desire to be a part of a team and experience the same opportunities as those in sports teams. They simply want to be included in the team. They say that they don’t mind not competing, compromising to keep things fair. I personally believe that they should be included in all aspects of sports teams, and Green Level’s Athletic Director, Colin Fegeley, agrees. 

When asked whether or not he thinks having transgender women involved on sports teams, Mr. Fegeley says “The NCHSAA (NC High School Athletic Association) currently has a policy in place in which trans-women can participate on the team that conforms to their gender identity. I do not find the current policy unfair and fully support any transgender student athlete’s ability to participate in high school athletics.” 

When asked to what extent they should be able to participate, Mr. Fegeley said “They should be able to both be part of the team and compete. I would be very uncomfortable and would not support/enforce any other arrangement.” 

He finished off by saying “​Yes, this is a blatant attack on transgender student athletes both in our state and across the country.” 

Coach Fegeley and I support transgender women in sports teams, and so should you.