Jim Justice Passes Anti-trans Bill
Jim Justice Passes Anti-trans Bill Cavtalk.org Canva Infographic Lee Cline Greenbrier West High School
May 18, 2021
On April 8th, 2021, the West Virginia Senate passed HB 3293, an anti-transgender bill that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in sports at the elementary, secondary, or post-secondary level consistent with their gender identity. This discriminatory bill has caused outrage within the state and across the nation.
In an interview with MSNBC, Governor Jim Justice said, “I think we only have twelve kids maybe in our state that are transgender type kids,” which is simply untrue. According to a study conducted by the Williams Institute, out of the 50 states, West Virginia has the highest percentage of teens who identify as transgender.
Some argue that transgender women would have an unfair advantage over cisgender women in an athletic setting. In some cases, this may be true, as this is a very complex issue. MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle asked Justice to provide one example of a trans child “trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage” at a school in the state. Justice said he couldn’t.
According to Dr. Joshua D. Safer, gender is not the the best way to determine a person’s competitive advantage. “A person’s genetic make-up and internal and external reproductive anatomy are not useful indicators of athletic performance,” according to Dr. Joshua D. Safer. “For a trans woman athlete who meets NCAA standards, “there is no inherent reason why her physiological characteristics related to athletic performance should be treated differently from the physiological characteristics of a non-transgender woman” (Strangio, Arkles, 2020).
Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said, “Transgender children are children. They deserve the ability to play organized sports and be part of a team, just like all children. Gov. Justice nor the legislators who voted to pass the bill can name a single example of a transgender child trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage, which underscores that this is nothing more than a politically motivated bill for the sake of discrimination itself.”
The consequences of discrimination and feeling left out can be dire. The American Academy of Pediatrics revealed statistics of attempted suicide among transgender youth. The findings emphasize the urgency of building-welcoming and safe communities for LGBTQ young people. More than half of transgender male teens who participated in the survey reported attempting suicide in their lifetime, while 29.9 percent of transgender female teens said they attempted suicide. Among non-binary youth, 41.8 percent of respondents stated that they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives (Human Rights Campaign, 2018).
“This fight is far from over,” says Andrew Schneider, Fairness West Virginia Executive Director, “ Transgender kids across West Virginia deserve love, support, and the chance to fully participate in the sport they love, and we’ll continue standing up for them every day. Senators have unfortunately made this bill even worse by extending the transgender athlete ban to cover colleges and universities without any regard for how that could affect West Virginia University’s standing with the NCAA. This bill is bad for business, it’s bad for our state’s image, and it’s bad for kids who are just looking to belong.”
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24hr) : 800-273-8255
The GLBT National Youth Talkline: (800) 246-7743
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
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Jim Justice Passes Anti-trans Bill
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https://www.hrc.org/news/new-study-reveals-shocking-rates-of-attempted-suicide-among-trans-adolescen
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3475680-Age-of-Individuals-Who-Identify-as-Transgender.html
https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/west-virginia-senate-passes-anti-trans-athlete-billhttps://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/politics/west-virginia-anti-trans-sports-bill/index.htmlhttps://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/w-va-governor-unable-cite-one-example-justify-trans-athlete-n1266014
https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/four-myths-about-trans-athletes-debunked/
Brahm Kesterson • Oct 10, 2021 at 1:23 am
Great article, very thought provoking. Issues like these are not taught in public school due to their political heat. That’s unfortunate, the result is an uneducated public with spoon-fed opinions. A glimpse into real problems is necessary for everyone. Great Job on showing people the world away from Greenbrier West.
Joyce cline • May 21, 2021 at 9:54 pm
Great article. This issue needs attention.
David Sharp • May 20, 2021 at 12:21 pm
In my honest opinion, as a person who is struggling with my identity right now and considering transitioning, my opinion is that there are definitely some things that need to be considered when a trans woman tries to participate in a female sport. Are they currently under hormone blockers or no? Are they under Estrogen or no? If they are not doing any hormone therapy then they shouldn’t be allowed to participate since testosterone will affect their strength and give them an advantage. If they are, however, undergoing hormone therapy then they should definitely be allowed to participate. I wouldn’t be going around crying because of this bill but i won’t be happy about it either. I’m more in a gray area in this.
Chrissy Bowles • May 19, 2021 at 1:56 pm
Hi, I’m Chrissy Bowles, and I prefer the pronouns she/her/hers.
Many people don’t realize that the Western view of gender is not the only view to ever exist. Several pre-colonial societies recognized more than two genders with some recognizing as many as six. This is true of pre-colonial societies in the Americas, India, and Africa just to name a few.
A simple Google search of the history of the gender binary will produce search results that most people, unfortunately, most likely wouldn’t even consider reading. The truth is that the gender binary has been used to perpetuate and support colonialism and white supremacy. Even if you consider the gender binary to be irrefutable, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s been used to exert control over marginalized people and not just those who deviate from the gender binary.
I encourage anyone reading this to research the history of the gender binary. Read articles and papers that align with the beliefs you already have, and also read articles and papers that present a viewpoint different from your own. It can be uncomfortable to learn and unlearn, but it can also be very empowering to gain new knowledge from different perspectives.