Did you know I was kicked out of gymnastics for being trans when I was 10 years old? All this debate about trans athletes brings back memories. After 3 years of practicing with my friends, my coach decided to split classes by gender. I asked my parents and teacher if I could play with the other girls, but they said no. They even teased me for asking. Can you imagine how confusing and embarrassing that is for a 5th grader? I started to believe I was doing something wrong just for wanting to play with the other girls. But I also knew I wasn’t a boy, and being placed on their team would have made everyone see me as one. It would be public humiliation.
I felt so hurt that I began breaking rules, complaining that I was being forced into the wrong class. Eventually, my teacher asked me to leave the gym. If I couldn’t go with the other girls, I couldn’t go at all. I never practiced again. This is how trans kids are ostracized and isolated for simply expressing themselves.
I helped write the amicus brief for this month’s Supreme Court cases involving trans athletes. These cases could either allow or prevent exclusion, depending on the outcome. No matter what happens, I know we will look back on this moment in shame in 30 years. We are living through a time when it was socially acceptable to attack trans children and question their basic freedom to play with their peers.
