Soccer gave me, a queer athlete, a sense of acceptance. Trans athletes deserve the same.

Wednesday is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, a moment to celebrate all those who work to provide equitable access to sports for all girls and women – emphasis on all. I’m using this day, two days before the start of the Winter Olympics, to think about what the game of soccer has meant to me and to advocate for all the women and girls, including and especially transgender girls, who just want a chance to play sports.

From childhood to college, through a pro career and my time on the U.S. Women’s National Team, soccer has done so much for me and my teammates. I traveled the world, won Olympic gold and enjoyed so many wonderful opportunities. But no accolades or achievements on the field could ever compare with the lessons my teammates and I learned along the way – camaraderie, contributing to something bigger than yourself and, most of all, character.

Playing soccer gave me confidence

I never knew how much this game would give me the first time I kicked a ball around the pitch. Back then, I just wanted the chance to spend some time with my friends. As a young queer woman growing up in Indianapolis in the 1990s, I didn’t always know if I’d be welcomed and accepted for who I was. There was, and still is, a lot of stigma against lesbian athletes. But playing soccer gave me a sense of acceptance. It gave me the confidence of knowing that I was valued for everything I brought to our team, and I want my transgender teammates to feel that same sense of belonging on the field.

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The same is true for millions of girls in big cities and small towns all across our country. Growing up is hard. That goes double for LGBTQ+ kids. But sports like soccer have always been a way for us to know that we belong.

Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. Politicians across our country are making life so much harder than it already is for young trans girls who just want to play on a team. Some 147 anti-transgender bills – the most ever – were introduced in statehouses last year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, and this year, more are on the way. Many of them focused on stopping trans girls from playing girls' sports.  

Mental health of transgender athletes

A survey from the Trevor Project found that a staggering 85% of transgender or gender nonbinary youth say their mental health had been negatively affected by these legislative attacks, and trans athletes who are playing by the rules and winning are being turned into punching bags by right-wing extremists.

There are many real, well-documented problems in girls' and women’s sports today that are worthy of attention – expanding access, ensuring equal pay, and stopping the pervasive abuse and harassment of athletes, just to name a few.

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What’s not a problem is allowing trans girls to play on a team consistent with their gender identity. None of the leading women’s sports organizations has claimed that allowing trans athletes to take part is a barrier to equity. And arguments about physical advantages don’t carry a lot of water when you remember that all women and girls are built differently – I’ve played with trans and nonbinary athletes who are smaller than me and many cisgender women who have larger frames.

Let’s not forget that long before this issue, people have been policing women’s bodies in sports – and it has always been wrong.

Return to true intent

Beyond the science, let’s think about the lessons we want to teach our kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics has unequivocally denounced these bans. They signal to kids that there’s something wrong with trans kids – and that’s bad for all kids. Let’s call this out for what it is – selfish politicians are demonizing trans girls even though there's not a single example that would necessitate this legislation. It’s despicable.

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Let’s return to the intent of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Since 1987, this has been a moment for America both to celebrate the achievements of female athletes who came before us and to encourage more young girls to take advantage of all the opportunities that playing sports can provide. We’ve made a lot of progress over the years, but it’s all too clear right now that we still have a long way to go to ensure that all women and girls are supported in sports.

So let’s commit this year to stopping the politicians who are using their power not to fix real problems, but to make it harder for trans girls to belong. Please join me and the Human Rights Campaign in telling legislators to let kids play and stop attacking the transgender community. If they want to go down this road, they’re going to have a fight on their hands. And I could not be prouder to be taking the lessons I learned on the soccer field and bringing them to this fight.

Lori Lindsey is a former professional soccer player who played on the United States Women’s National Team at the 2011 Women’s World Cup and the 2012 Olympic Games, where she won an Olympic Gold Medal.