On April 2, 2024, Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill restricting transgender athletes’ ability to play on teams that align with their gender identity.
In a survey sent to Stoughton High School (SHS) students, 52% agreed with Gov. Evers’ decision to veto the bill, stating the importance of protecting transgender student athletes’ right to play on teams that align with their gender identity. 45% disagreed with the decision, while 3% had no opinion.
Senior Michael Anschutz commented, “Transgender youth deserve to feel safe and protected in all aspects of life, especially at school and in school events. I believe Wisconsin is very lucky to have lawmakers like Gov. Evers who will protect youth who would otherwise be restricted or even endangered by simply expressing their gender identity.”
In Evers’s veto message, he denounced the bill for promoting prejudice, stating that he “object[s] to codifying discrimination into state statute and the Wisconsin State Legislature’s ongoing efforts to perpetuate hateful and discriminatory rhetoric and policies targeting LGBTQ Wisconsinites.”
“We expect our kids to treat each other with kindness, respect, empathy, and compassion, and we should be able to expect adults to lead by example,” Evers said.
Evers also criticized the bill for ignoring the current legislature that Wisconsin high schools, including SHS, already follow.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) transgender student-athlete policy provides some restrictions on the participation of transgender student-athletes. For example, students who wish to play on teams that do not match their birth sex must provide “a written statement from the student affirming [their] consistent gender identity and expression,” along with statements from family, doctors, and teachers.
As far as medical requirements in the WIAA policy go, transgender girls (born male) cannot participate on female teams until they complete one year of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to lower their testosterone levels, which 32% of surveyed students agree with.
41% of surveyed students think that transgender girls should not be allowed to play on girl’s teams at all, while 19% think that transgender girls should be allowed to play on girl’s teams even without undergoing HRT.
A similar policy applies to transgender boys (born female). Once transgender boys have started HRT to increase their testosterone levels, they can no longer play on female teams. However, they can play on male teams before starting HRT. 34.4% of surveyed students say that this is a fair policy, although 21.2% of surveyed students think that transgender boys should still be required to play on female teams even after starting HRT.
One student, freshman Ethan Mowry, disagrees entirely with the hormone requirements. “Requiring students to take testosterone or estrogen suppression therapy, when they may not have the funds, resources, or support available, shouldn’t be a power anyone has, especially when it comes to students doing things they enjoy without feeling invalidated for their gender identity,” Mowry said.
However, freshman Baylee Weesner offers a different perspective.
“I am a girl wrestler for the Stoughton wrestling team, and I have transgender friends, but in a sports environment, I don’t support it because I feel like it’s not morally just for me to wrestle a 200 lb man,” Weesner said.
Weesner isn’t the only SHS student-athlete who believed that the bill should’ve passed. Senior Matthew Sorg expressed his sympathy for students who play on teams with transgender athletes.
“I am an athlete myself, and I know how much hard work, effort, and training goes into it. Imagine training your entire life for a high-level competition just to get beat by someone who didn’t even have to try as hard because they had a biological advantage,” Sorg said.
Reis Nisius adds to this, claiming that “I’m mediocre at hockey, but if I was trans, I would be the best girl at the school.”
However, some students argued against the idea that these ‘biological advantages’ are a justified reason to ban transgender athletes.
“There can be two boys on the football team; one can be 6’2, 200lbs with a full beard, and the other can be a squeaky-voiced, 5’6, lanky boy. But just because they both have penises there’s no debate on whether they can be on the same team? Then why can’t we apply the same logic to trans athletes?” an anonymous student said.
Sophomore Rylee Campbell agreed that although there should be some restrictions, such as the WIAA guidelines, transgender athletes are not the only people who benefit from biological advantages.
“For example, Michael Phelps’ lung capacity is said to be two times larger than that of an average human, which is a biological advantage. I believe that transgender students should have opportunities within the sports they love, but I understand why there’s apprehension over it,” Campbell stated.
Other students offered the idea of a transgender-only or non-binary sports league, which isn’t guaranteed to solve issues with differences in biology, but might make sports more affirming for some individuals.
“A lot of the time, now, transgender and non-binary athletes, such as myself, are forced into joining sports incongruent with their identity,” Senior Kyle Gibson said.
Unfortunately, running teams exclusively for transgender and non-binary individuals alongside the already-existing gendered teams would require money, resources, and numbers that SHS does not have.
Because Wisconsin is so split between support and disapproval of transgender athletes, and this topic has so much nuance, it’s unlikely that the state will find a one-size-fits-all solution to ensure everyone’s comfort.
Sophomore Joy Johnson offered a quote that encapsulates the scope of the issue; “‘We cannot fit a multi-gender world into a two-gender system of sports.’ – Abhijit Naskar.”