RFA Response to Transphobic SCOTUS
While the transphobic SCOTUS ruling in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox is full of hate language hardly befitting a dive bar, and will be devastating to athletes both trans and cisgender athletes all over the country, we at Rainbow Families Action know that no court has ever succeeded in deciding who we are. We are undaunted, and will continue to fight for and uphold what is already here in California. We won’t stop until all our children are free to belong, connect and experience the joy of sports. In California, we understand that we all win when trans girls are included, as the law requires.
Like trans children themselves, our joy in sports cannot be erased. Bad actors will try, but when you tune out the noise, what remains is fun, companionship, and community. As Track and Field star AB Hernandez graduated this year, her last meet wasn’t defined by anger or division. Despite the presence of a few harassing adults, the girls competed together, cheered for one another, and treated each other with respect. That kind of shared joy will last far longer than the abuse.
The SCOTUS ruling will almost certainly hurt more than trans girls. Those girls who lay on the grass and laughed with AB know that if trans athletes are isolated and banned, their sport will be degraded and their excellence may be challenged next. When AB Hernandez first started competing, she was the only girl triple jumper in the state to hit 40 feet. When she graduated, there were four. This is how sports works: excellence pushes everyone to be better.
Sports teach skills kids need to grow into strong citizens: teamwork, resilience, learning from mistakes, and commitment to something larger than yourself. Those lessons don’t just stay on the field. Our communities are stronger when ALL kids can benefit from them.
And that strength is built on an essential, non-negotiable truth: trans girls are girls. Tall girls are girls. Strong girls are girls. Girls of all races, ethnicities, backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and sexualities are girls. Excluding any girl for any reason tells all girls that their place in the community is fragile.
All girls are harmed by the policing of bodies and presentation, and by invasions of their privacy. The now lawful discrimination against trans athletes violates all girls’ privacy and opens the door to medical testing and impromptu challenges to every girl who is too tall, too fast, or who wins too much. Exclusive policies will do irreparable damage to a generation of girls, and history shows that girls of color or any nonconforming bodies will be targeted first.
So let’s remember this: the SCOTUS decision will be deeply painful for many trans youth around this country. It may tear away at their physical and mental health, but it won’t change reality. It won’t erase the love all our kids, cis and trans, have for each other and the joy of competing together. Trans kids aren’t going anywhere, and neither are their families.