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Talking About Transgender Youth Participation in Sports

Authors

Movement Advancement Project

Partners

Advocates for Trans Equality
Athlete Ally
Equality Federation Institute
GLAAD
The Inclusion Playbook
National Center for LGBTQ Rights

The Bottom Line

Young people learn many important life lessons in sports: leadership, confidence, self-respect, self-discipline, what it means to be part of a team, and much more. Sports and athletics are an important part of education—something no child should be denied simply because of who they are.

This guide provides approaches for elevating conversations about sports participation, addressing unfamiliarity and concerns, and showing why banning kids from the educational benefits of athletics is harmful both to transgender youth and to all young people.

Talking About Transgender Youth Participation in Sports

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Recommended citation:

Movement Advancement Project. February 2026. “Talking About Transgender Youth Participation in Sports“. MAP’s Talking About LGBTQ Issues Series. https://mapresearch.org/messaging-guide/talking-about-transgender-youth-participation-in-sports/.

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