U.S. Women’s Soccer Star Slams Proposed Bill Barring Transgender Athletes From Competing in Female Sports

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

U.S. Women’s soccer star Becky Sauerbrunn wrote an opinion piece for the Springfield News-Leader offering her support for transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Missouri has a proposed bill called the “Save Women’s Sports Act” to ban transgender athletes from playing female sports. Sauerbrunn is a defender for the USWNT. She has made 212 appearances for the national team, and she played in three World Cups for the team. On Sunday, the Missouri native wrote for one of her state’s papers, the Springfield News-Leader, and defended transgender athletes against the proposed bill.

She wrote:

I’m Becky Sauerbrunn, Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA World Cup Champion. Since I started playing soccer, I’ve faced countless challenges to gender equity in sport, from pay disparity to unsafe working conditions. I can assure you that playing with or against transgender women and girls is not a threat to women’s sports.

Sauerbrunn mentioned that she has a soccer field named after her at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, where she attended high school. Missouri House Speaker Dean Plotcher also attended the school. She called on Plotcher to stop the “Save Women’s Sports Act”:

For many transgender kids and young adults, sports offer a similar opportunity to improve their lives. It’s well documented that sports help children and young adults develop critical life skills like communication, teamwork and leadership. It also provides them with a community of peers with whom they can build lifelong friendships.

Sauerbrunn credited playing soccer as a big reason for who she is today and discussed why she decided to go to the University of Virginia to play soccer:

The NCAA already has a transgender athlete policy in place to ensure all athletes can participate safely and fairly. And at the most elite level of athletic competition, the International Olympic Committee has a policy for transgender athlete participation. The bills up for discussion in the Senate this week seek to solve a problem that simply doesn’t exist, and instead are sidelining youth from an outlet that brings them joy, connection and purpose.

The bills don’t consider any of the actual challenges to women and girls in sport. The proposed “Save Women’s Sports Act” does nothing to protect or support girls and women in sports. If those putting forth this legislation actually listening to the needs and concerns of women in sports, they would outline clear steps to protect women and girls from the rampant sexual assault and harassment plaguing sports – issues we’ve been fighting in the NWSL. They would clarify what’s being done to ensure all institutions in Missouri are Title IX complaint. They would outline a plan to promote equal pay for women athletes. They would ensure young women and girls have equitable resources in sport, especially young women and girls of color. Instead, they’re pushing kids away from the life-changing power of sports, forever depriving them of the invaluable lessons sport teaches, and the best friends they would find on their teams.

I have been championing gender equirt in sport for a long time, and I am done seeing transgender youth being curelly targated to score politcal points.

Sauerbrunn’s opinion on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports is the polar opposite of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who said Monday, “I personally won’t be competing in or supporting the World Surf League if this rule remains.” After the WSL announced transgender athletes can compete in surfing competitions.