The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
There’s a concerted effort across the United States to ban transgender student-athletes from sports. This rhetoric has focused on harm toward transgender kids. It’s time to instead focus on the power of inclusion and how it will help all Arizonans.
I’m a native Arizonan, a nurse practitioner trained to care for transgender patients, and the CEO of a transgender health center. I’ve seen the impact of excluding transgender kids. I’ve seen countless children consider suicide because of exclusion. I’ve also seen many kids thrive when accepted.
We need legislation that maintains Arizona’s trajectory toward becoming more inclusive. Instead, legislators are doing the opposite. Last year, members of the Arizona Legislature attempted to advance a bill that would subject female athletes to invasive medical exams and ban girls from participating in school sports. Legislators are expected to propose similar bills this legislative session; it needs to stop. Exclusion is harmful; for transgender kids, it can be life-threatening. Conversely, inclusion and affirmation can be lifesaving.
Arizona has a history of being pro-business. Arizona’s growth is primarily fueled by companies moving to Arizona, and those already here are thriving. Creating an inclusive place where people feel safe and want to live helps drive that.
The state has seen an 80% increase in the number of professional sports teams in the past 30-years, including the Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Cardinals, and the Mercury. The Diamondbacks spoke out against these discriminatory bills. Additionally tech companies, like Uber and PayPal support inclusion for transgender youth in sports. Data shows that economic development and LGBTQ+ inclusion are mutually reinforcing.
Aside from economic gains, sports also promote physical and mental health for children. These benefits are essential to public health in preventing disease. Allowing transgender kids to play on the field with their friends decreases psychological distress and promotes mental health on par with their peers.
If you’ve played sports, you know the thrill of being on a team with your friends and the excitement of your family coming to watch you play. My colleagues have shown that improved family support of transgender kids leads to better mental health. Now imagine, instead, that the government forces you to play with the wrong gender, or your family didn’t come to see you because they kicked you out (1 in 4 teens are forced to leave home). Instead, we need to encourage kids to play and families to support their kids and keep them under the family roof. Indeed, support for transgender youth is protective against mental illness and reduces the risk of suicide from 57% to 4%.
We need to begin to move the conversation away from ideology and toward the power and benefits that come with inclusion. I’m not asking readers to change their beliefs on sex or gender. Arizonans have the opportunity to promote business, foster mental health, keep families together, and prevent homelessness. There’s a moral and economic imperative to do so.
Arizona has the worst coronavirus infection rate in the United States. Amid record infections and death, legislators should not propose reckless and narrow legislation aimed at creating a wedge issue and divide Arizonans. We need to focus on the real issues at hand.
We must celebrate the bravery and courage of these kids for coming out and listen to the majority of Arizonans who believe this bill further divides us by using vulnerable children to push a political agenda. Including transgender kids not only helps them but all Arizonans.
