Groundbreaking New Professional Sports Policy - Athletes Unlimited

I’ve been tracking policies for the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports for nearly a decade; I celebrate every time a policy prioritizing inclusion comes out. I also celebrate every time I’m able to help write a policy behind the scenes. I always love to see sports organizations and leagues push the rest of sports to rethink inclusion.

I’m thrilled to share the new policy for inclusion from Athletes Unlimited, a network of next generation professional sports leagues including softball, women’s indoor volleyball, and women’s lacrosse. It is one of the first professional sports policies to provide guidance for non-binary athletes, and one of the most inclusive I’ve ever been able to be a part of.

Athletes Unlimited is committed to creating safe and inclusive spaces while maintaining competitive equity in professional sports. In order to demonstrate this through policy, Athletes Unlimited’s policy prioritizes inclusion and privacy and allows an athlete to self-assess their own eligibility, without requiring invasive disclosure.

Athletes Unlimited recognizes all forms of gender expression and supports athletes choosing to express their gender beyond the binary of female and male, and its policy details the pathways to participation for both transgender and non-binary athletes. Non-binary people play sports, and it is important to acknowledge them when making policy.

This policy is a huge step forward for professional sports. And I love that the leagues are player-driven, which means that this is the policy professional athletes approved to govern participation in their own leagues. It’s great to see a professional league clearly affirming trans women are women and are welcome in women’s sports. This policy is going to move sports forward, and I’m so excited to have this officially online.

Check out the policy at https://www.transathlete.com/prosports