FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 27, 2009

Top Sports Leaders, Researchers, Medical & Legal Experts Address Equal Opportunity for Transgender Student-Athletes

(Indianapolis, Indiana, October 27, 2009) — In a groundbreaking think tank sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation Initiative: It Takes a Team! Education Campaign for LGBT Issues in Sport, top sports leaders, legal experts, policymakers and student-athletes gathered to address equal opportunity for transgender student-athletes. The two-day session provided an opportunity to identify best practices and develop model policies for high school and collegiate athletic leaders to ensure the full inclusion of transgender student-athletes.

“This was the first meeting of transgender rights experts and leaders of high school and collegiate athletics to address these key issues, and the conversation opened an important and positive dialogue between these diverse groups,” said NCLR Sports Project Director Helen Carroll. “This will enable us to move forward with constructive suggestions for best practices and possible model policies developed with critical input from this multi-disciplinary team of experts. Most importantly, we hope that this work will ultimately enrich the lives of transgender athletes and their teammates.”

“The Women’s Sports Foundation has a long tradition of advocacy for equality in sport,” said Karen Durkin, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation. “Our participation in this think tank is a part of that tradition and we are confident that the outcomes from the think tank will provide excellent guidelines for effective and fair policy development.”

The think tank took place in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 25-26, 2009.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
www.nclrights.org.

The Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through physical activity through education, programming and public policy advocacy.
www.womenssportsfoundation.org.

It Takes A Team! Education Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Sport is an education and advocacy initiative of the Women's Sports Foundation dedicated to the elimination of barriers to safe and respectful sports participation for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
www.ItTakesATeam.org.

back to press center