Please oppose any anti-transgender athlete bills..

As an Indiana resident, I am very concerned that our legislators are trying to stop transgender athletes from participating in sports.

School sports are supposed to be about building healthy habits, having fun, and learning how to be part of a team.Transgender students, like other students, deserve the same chances to learn teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership and self-discipline, and to build a sense of belonging with their peers.

Any language that prevents transgender students from fully participating in sports aligned with their identity won’t make sports safer or fairer for any student—all it would do is stigmatize and exclude a group of students who already face high levels of discrimination. Transgender students already face disturbing rates of bullying, rejection, and even violence. And this type of bill isn’t solving any actual problem - trans kids have played sports consistent with their gender identity for a long time. At the high school level, states across the country have allowed transgender kids to play sports consistent with their gender identity for decades. This is simply not an actual problem.

At the end of the day, every Hoosier should be treated with dignity and respect, including transgender young people. Please don’t let any bill that hurts transgender youth pass out of the legislature.