LGBTQ2SIA+ Advocacy Organization Basic Rights Oregon Affirms Trans Youth Deserve to Play Sports, Denounces Dangerous Attacks on Kids

Basic Rights Oregon, the state’s leading LGBTQ2SIA+ advocacy group, is affirming today that all youth—including transgender young people—have the right to play sports with their peers in Oregon. We reject the attempts to manufacture hateful hysteria by some in power in our state government. 

We know that Oregonians support and accept people in our communities, regardless of who they are, what they look like, or how they identify. We need to support our kids—not deny them the freedom to be their true selves.  

Banning trans kids won’t make youth sports any fairer. Instead, such a ban would single out a small minority of kids and deny them a shared experience of playing with their classmates and friends. It would encourage more bullying—something trans youth already face at an alarming rate—and leave our kids feeling more isolated, more vulnerable, and less safe.  

To those in the Legislature concerned with issues of women’s equality or fairness in youth sports: We encourage you to address much more pressing issues in our state like paid family leave, childcare inequities, and disparities in funding for sports programs in low-income school districts. Basic Rights Oregon would gladly join you in advocating for such efforts. 

Additionally, we are deeply disappointed that any politician would use the name of a minor in a press release, singling them out to score political points. Negatively calling out any individual in such a public forum—especially a child—puts them at grave risk of experiencing online bullying and harassment, real-world violence, and associated mental health struggles. It also has a negative effect on all our youth, teaching them that bullying is an acceptable form of advocacy. Regardless of political beliefs, we hope all Oregon lawmakers can agree that this behavior is reckless and cruel, and should not happen again.  

Enough is enough: It’s time to stop extreme politicians from overreaching into our families, and into the lives of our children. Our kids and communities will be stronger when we treat others’ choices with compassion and respect. Instead of shaming kids, we have a responsibility to help them navigate growing up and figuring out who they are. We don’t need to understand everything about each other to treat each other with dignity and respect. 

Let kids be kids. Let kids play.