This story is part of Let Them Play, a collection of articles about trans kids and youth sports.
See the full packagehere.
You will never hear about the majority of trans kids who play sports in this country.
Lia Clay Miller. Prop styling by Gozde Eker. Hair by Yu Nakata at 87 artists.
In fact, most lawmakers who push these billscant name a single trans student playing sportsin their state.
In fact, exclusion from the playing field can cause immense harm to the trans kids themselves.
This issue is literally life or death for many trans children.
They just…go to practices, compete, and come home and do their school work.
They win, they lose, they learn, they grow, just like all kids do.
Sivan, 18, Massachusetts
Sivan has been playing sports for most of his life.
Eventually, the demands of both school and athletics increased and he had to pick one to focus on.
The choice, for him, was never going to be a hard one to makesoccer was his favorite.
But I think what I really love most about soccer is how much Ive learned.
But hes also talking about so much more than that.
Soccer, and sports in general, teach us how to handle loss.
Sivan was what most people would call a shy kid; sports gave him more confidence.
His experience with teammates and coaches has been similar.
On the field, Im just another player, Sivan explains.
The fact that I happen to be transgender doesnt matter at all.
What does matter is that Im playing my hardest and working with my team.
Occasionally, someone will question Sivans participation after learning he is transbut its been easily cleared up.
Ive taken these opportunities to educate, Sivan said.
Because the only uncertainty that Ive ever been approached with has been fueled purely by misinformation.
He said hes lucky to live in a state with good policies for trans participation in school sports.
The best part [of sports] has been the team aspect that Ive experienced, Sivan said.
And youre developing these really strong relationships and a sense of belonging and community.
Now a sophomore in high school, she plays softball and is on the cheerleading team.
Its a lot of fun to do the [cheer] beats.
When shes cheering for the football and basketball teams, Maddie loves the rivalry games.
It has now become law with immediate effectand its possible that this could impact Maddies ability to continue participating.
She hasnt experienced any pushback from coaches or teammates, either, making sports an overall positive time.
My cheer girls, those are my sisters.
In middle school, he ran cross country and went out for the tennis team.
He hopes to play baseball next year when he gets to high school.
When I was little, sports helped get out a lot of my energy, Alex said.
I always really enjoyed them and liked being active and getting to play sports with my friends.
But in the spring when he wanted to play tennis, Cat recalls, things got more complicated.
Alex is one of those kids.
He stood in the cold and watched all his peers practice.
At the time, he didnt know that the issue was related to him being transgender.
But it turned out not to be that simple.
Alex has lobbied at the Kansas State House alongside his mother.
These new laws took effect July 1.
Yes, its helpful if there arent bans on transgender athletes playing.
Lets start there, Cat said.
She began playing at age 10, when her town hosted a clinic to introduce people to the sport.
The experience left Rebekah hooked.
I tried that one clinic and I fell in love, she said.
I am a midfielder.
So Im sort of in the middle of it all, which is super fun.
Its exciting, its fast, and were all working toward a common goal.
And we win together, we lose together.
When Rebekah first brought up questions of identity, her parents let her lead the way.
They knew that I knew myself better than anyone else could ever know me, she said.
But she stresses that allowing her to be in charge of any exploration was key.
Her two younger brothers accepted her right away, becoming some of her biggest supporters.
Rebekah has similarly been embraced by her peers and teammates.
When Im on the field, nobody cares that Im trans, she said.
Im really just like any other player.
Her biggest struggle has been learning the sport itself.
I exceed easily in the other aspects of my life.
But in field hockey, I really have to try hard and work hard to get better.
It gives me more room to grow.
But for Rebekah, nothing compares to the friendships shes built with her teammates.
In 2022, the policy was updated to mention nonbinary student athletes and detail the options for their participation.
Were not scary, Rebekah said of trans kids.
Were every other kid, and were all around you.
I mean, if you think you dont know a trans kid, you probably do.
Amir, 17, Maryland
Amir has been playing soccer since he was in second grade.
Now, as an 11th grader, he is the goalie for his school team.
Also, I get to be kind of like the leader because I can see what other people cant.
The first question his grandma asked him was, Where do we start?
His teammates and coaches have been equally supportive.
My teammates found my TikTok page where Im very out there about who I am, Amir said.
They were like, It doesn’t matter to us.
Youre my brother, no matter what.
Those connections he has built with them are the best part of getting to play soccer.
Its okay not to be the best player.
You also have your special things about you, just like other people have special things about them.
