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John,
Transgender people are under attack, yet again. In late March, amidst a global pandemic, Idaho passed House Bill (HB) 500, which discriminates against transgender athletes by barring them from participating in athletic competitions as their true selves. We know this law is discriminatory, you know it, and even a judge in Idaho knew it when they stepped in to prevent its enforcement and the harm that would come from it.
Being a kid is hard enough, and can be particularly difficult for transgender students, who often face bullying and harassment. Adults with little understanding of what it means to be transgender should not make things worse by banning students from being part of a team and playing the sports they love.
When transgender athletes are excluded from participation on teams as their true selves, they are often left out from sports altogether. Transgender youth simply want be a part of a team, just like any other kid, but extremists politicians are once again doing everything they can to stop them, with no basis in science or humanity.
That’s why we want you to ask the NCAA Board of Governors to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all athletes. The NCAA already issued a statement calling out HB500 as discriminatory and, in 2016, promised to ensure all championships would be held in a discrimination-free environment. Now is the time we hold them to their word.
Will you call on the Board of Governors, to ensure that the NCAA uphold its core value of nondiscrimination by immediately relocating the 2021 NCAA Championships from Idaho?
If we impact Idaho’s ability to profit off of student athletes, maybe they will see the importance in letting everyone play--as they are.
Laws like #HB500 embolden other discriminatory bills to be passed across the country, putting transgender people in harm’s way. With your help, we can make sure to stop this push to discriminate against transgender people in its tracks.
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