LESSON PLAN Why are States Trying to Ban Transgender Student Athletes? Compelling Question: Why do states want to ban transgender students from playing sports? Grade Level Time Standards/Competencies Common Core Anchor: SEL: K-2 3-5 Reading: R1, R2, R7 Self-Awareness 45–90 Writing: W1 Social Awareness Minutes Speaking & Listening: Relationship Skills MS HS SL1, SL2, SL3 Responsible Decision- Web Related Connections Language: L4, L6 Making Lessons LESSON OVERVIEW Transgender Identity and In 2020, twenty bills in eighteen states were introduced by state legislatures to Issues limit athletes who are transgender from competing on sports teams. Only Idaho Unheard Voices: Stories of was successful in passing such a law. By the end of January 2021, these bills LGBT History began to gain momentum again, with states once again introducing bills to limit athletes who are transgender from competing on sports teams. If the bills pass, Student-Direct Resource these students would be restricted to playing sports based on their sex assigned Pronouns: Why Do They at birth, not their gender identity. In March 2021, the Mississippi House and Matter? (on Sutori) Senate passed a bill that would ban transgender athletes from competing on female sports teams in schools and universities. The Governor is expected to Other Resources sign it. It is important to reflect on these current bills in the context of the larger Beyond the Binary: picture of transgender rights in the United States. Discussing Transgender and Gender Non- This lesson provides an opportunity for students to reflect on how their Conforming Identity in K-12 experiences with playing sports and participating in other activities affects them, Schools learn more about these bills that aim to prevent transgender students from Gender Neutral Pronouns playing sports, and consider what they can do about it. Make Headlines [Note to Teacher: We believe that it is important to educate students on issues Let's Get it Right: Using related to gender identity and systemic discrimination, especially given the Correct Pronouns and absence of this topic in the curriculum and the disproportionate rates of anti- Names transgender bullying and harassment in schools. Here are some Safe and Inclusive Schools recommendations in preparation for doing this lesson. for All Encourage a safe, inclusive, and respectful classroom environment by Sports and Social Justice carefully reviewing this lesson and assessing students’ maturity and The Most Basic of Rights: readiness to engage in the topic prior to teaching it. To establish clear Transgender Students are parameters with students that will ensure safe, respectful and constructive Entitled to Respect and dialogue, see Establishing a Safe Learning Environment and Creating an Dignity Anti-Bias Learning Environment for guidelines. Be sensitive and aware that you may or may not know you have students in Key Words your classroom who are transgender, non-binary, and/or gender non- conforming, or whose family members are transgender, nonbinary, and/or assigned at birth gender nonconforming. backlash Be aware that information about gender identity should only come from the cisgender student directly and be prepared for the possibility that students who have civil rights controversy not shared this previously, may disclose it during the lesson. Don’t assume dispute that everyone in a young person’s life knows this aspect of their identity. dubious Young people do not always feel comfortable sharing information about their © 2021 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education Page 1 of 11 adl.org/lesson-plans gender identity with their friends and family. For more information, see Beyond the Binary: Discussing Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Identity in K-12 Schools. Key Words (cont.) If you are required to disclose a student’s gender identity to their endured parents/caregivers once they share it with you, let your students know this at equity the beginning of the lesson so they can make an informed decision about genetic testing what they want to share about their identity. injunction interscholastic invasive LEARNING OBJECTIVES legal brief legislative Students will reflect on their experiences with sports and other medical transition extracurricular activities. non-binary Students will learn about the recent bills that aim to limit transgender athletes scrutiny from participating in school sports. transgender underrepresented Students will explore actions they can take about these bills or transgender violates rights in general. visibility MATERIALS & PREPARATION “How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights” (one copy for each student) Inside Idaho's Ban on Trans Women in Sports video (2020, 7:37 min., VICE NEWS, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPxV72MPOC8) PROCEDURES Extracurricular Activities and Sports: My Experiences 1. Ask aloud (without asking students to respond): Do you participate in extracurricular activities? Do you participate in sports, either through school or in your community? Have students jot down what activities they currently participate in, either through school or in their community. 2. Have students turn and talk with someone sitting near them, responding to the three questions below. If they do not participate in any extracurricular activities or sports, have them consider their hobbies or other interests. What sports or other extracurriculars do you participate in? What do you like about or get out of that activity? How would you feel if you could not do that activity or play that sport? 3. Reconvene the class and ask students to share examples of what they like about the sport or other activity and how they would feel if they could not do it. Create a T-chart as follows: What I like about sports, other activity How I would feel if I couldn’t do it I like the team spirit. I would miss my teammates. It will help me get into college. I would feel less connected in school. I’ve made friends. I would be bored. It’s who I am. It could hurt my chances of getting in college. 4. Ask students: As you look at the chart, what do you notice? What do you wonder? Information Sharing 1. Explain to students that today we are going to discuss recent state laws proposed to limit transgender athletes from participating in school sports. Elicit what they might have heard or already know about these laws. © 2021 Anti-Defamation League, www.adl.org/education Page 2 of 11 adl.org/lesson-plans Note: Make sure your students know the definitions of gender identity, transgender, cisgender, and non- binary, as follows: Gender identity: Relates to a person’s internal sense of their own gender. Since gender identity is internal, one’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others. Transgender: An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Cisgender: A term for people whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-binary: People whose gender identity falls outside the “gender binary” or who don’t identify as exclusively male or female. 2. Based on what students already know, share some or all the following information: In 2020, twenty bills in eighteen states were introduced that would limit athletes who are transgender from competing on sports teams. Many of the bills target youth and college athletes, with supporters arguing that transgender girls have an unfair physical advantage in girls’ sports. Only one state (Idaho) was successful in passing the law. However, the ACLU challenged this bill in court, stating “In Idaho and around the country, transgender people of all ages have been participating in sports consistent with their gender identity for years. Inclusive teams support all athletes and encourage participation — this should be the standard for all school sports.” In August 2020, a judge issued a temporary injunction to suspend the bill while the case is being heard in federal court. On Dec. 21, over 60 women’s and LGBTQ rights groups and nearly 200 women athletes, including Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe and Candace Parker, filed legal briefs to contest the Idaho law and support the inclusion of transgender athletes. These bills gained momentum again in 2021 and as of the end of February 2021, over twenty states have introduced bills to limit athletes who are transgender from competing on sports teams. If these bills pass, students would be restricted to playing sports based on their sex assigned at birth, not their gender identity, or being unable to play at all. This would disproportionately harm Black and Latinx transgender athletes, who already face systemic obstacles to participation in sports. Larger context of transgender rights: Over the past three decades, the movement for transgender rights has made many legislative gains. In addition, there has been growth and progress in the general public’s understanding and acceptance of the transgender community. On President Biden’s first day in office in January 2021, he signed an executive order committing the administration to following Supreme Court precedent and federal law, including restoring anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students that among other things, mandate that transgender students should be able to learn without facing sex discrimination. A few days later, Biden signed an executive order that overturned Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. Many challenges for the transgender community remain around employment, health care, sports, safety, public acceptance and more. 3. Engage students in a brief discussion about this information by asking: What are your thoughts and feelings after hearing this information? What is new information for you? How does learning this information challenge your thinking about what you thought previously? Reading Activity 1. Distribute the article, “How high school sports became the latest battleground over transgender rights” to all students and give them 10–15 minutes to read it silently or read aloud together with students taking turns reading.