Arizona group OKs first transgender student athlete

Arizona's high-school sports association said it has approved the first transgender student-athlete to play a sport in Arizona.

Chuck Schmidt, associate executive director of The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board (AIA), said there have been several cases of transgender athletes appealing to play in the past, but the board denied those until now.

He said he could not give the name of the athlete, nor the sport, school and sex in order to protect the student-athlete's privacy.

An AIA subcommittee recommended the eligibility of the transgender athlete to the board, which unanimously voted to allow the student-athlete to play this winter.

The AIA doesn't have legislation that opens the door for all transgender athletes to participate in sports. Schmidt said it is case by case, such as hardship appeals.

"We look at the school," Schmidt said. "Do they support the request? We look at the student. There is a lot of documentation to explore, the gender dysphoria. Are they working with medical professionals? Where are the parents and students themselves? What are their positions? How long have they identified as the opposite sex they were born?

"All of that is taken into consideration and the potential impact it would have on other students. All of those things came together. Based on all of the information, the subcommittee recommended approval, and it was supported by the board."

Arizona is not alone in facing the issue.

MINNESOTA OPPOSITION

In Minnesota, a full-page ad was placed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by the Minnesota Child Protective League in opposition of a proposal there to allow the participation of transgender athletes to play.

In the ad, it states, "A male wants to shower beside your 14-year-old daughter. Are you OK with that?"

Shortly after that, the Minnesota State High School League was bombarded by more than an estimated 10,000 emails before the early October vote with more than 50 people lined up to speak to show either support or opposition, according to the Star Tribune. The vote was delayed until December, according to reports.

The Star Tribune reported that Zeam Porter, a junior who plays basketball and identifies as "trans genderqueer," broke down while speaking during the packed hearing.

"It's like, 'I respect transgender people, but ...'" the Star Tribune reported Porter saying. "The 'but' is what I've been hearing my whole life. All I hear is, 'You are problematic; you're wrong.'"

In a Washington Post story, transgender athletes have been allowed to play on their preferred teams in at least 10 states, according to Trans Athlete.

According to the National Federation of High Schools, 32 states have some sort of policy on transgender athletes with some stating they have to play on the gender-specific sports, according to what is on their birth certificates.

The AIA has no policy. It is case by case.

"I don't know about a ripple effect," Schmidt said on how the AIA's approval of the first transgender athlete to play would impact the Arizona high school sports landscape.

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