Sports
Sports leagues regularly play defense against anti-LGBT measures
Int’l Triathlon Union reversed course after rainbow flag ban backlash
There has been a lot of news recently regarding policy changes on LGBT topics including the transgender military ban, conversion therapy bans and nondiscrimination bills. It has been a reminder that even when policies are put in place that support human rights, they can be reversed at a moment’s notice.
The sports community is experiencing similar reversals and changes to those that have been seen in the political arena.
On Jan. 14, Senate Bill 49 was introduced in South Dakota to overturn a 2015 policy in the state that allows participation for all students regardless of their gender identity or expression.
Its passing would restrict participation in high school activities by birth certificate and could set a precedent for other states to follow. The bill failed to advance past committee on Jan. 24 and the protections for transgender athletes currently remain in place.
It only took a few days for the attack to begin again.
Chris Mosier is the first transgender athlete to compete for Team USA and tracks policies for transgender athletes on TransAthlete.com.
“While SB 49 was shot down, the South Dakota lawmakers introduced House Bill 1225 just a few days later which is the exact same bill targeting transgender high school athletes,” Mosier says. “They are hoping to angle the bill into a ‘friendlier’ committee to get it passed. The attacks against trans youth are still on.”
Supporters can sign an open letter that Mosier created here.
On Jan. 18, the International Triathlon Union banned rainbow flags from all competitions, equating the rainbow flag with unsportsmanlike, disrespectful and dangerous displays. The ruling read as follows:
“Athletes will avoid displaying any kind of demonstration of political, religious, sexual orientation or racial propaganda.”
The sexual orientation part of that was new for 2019 and was designed specifically to eliminate rainbow flags. The public outcry regarding the ruling was immediate and six days later the ruling was reversed. The International Triathlon Union released the following statement:
“The International Triathlon Union has decided to immediately change the rule that stated that ‘Athletes will avoid displaying any kind of demonstration of political, religious, sexual orientation or racial propaganda,’ so that ‘sexual orientation’ will be immediately removed.”
D.C. triathlete Bryan Frank qualified for the 2015 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and knew he would be carrying the rainbow flag across the finish line.
When he was a half mile from the finish line, he grabbed a rainbow flag from his entourage of seven supporters who were holding it on the sidelines.
“There is still a stigma that LGBT athletes can’t compete at a top level. Kona is the world championships and I wanted to show that anyone can play on the world stage,” Frank says. “There was another guy running next to me and he stepped aside to let me have my moment at the finish line. I got lots of cheers.”
This past week, the International Powerlifting Federation and USA Powerlifting banned transgender athletes from competing by posting an update to their transgender participation policy on their website.
Originally, the International Powerlifting Federation had adopted rules that followed the International Olympic Committee’s policies on transgender athletes. The rules allow such athletes to compete provided their hormones are within normal ranges.
The new ruling prohibits all female transgender powerlifters and male transgender athletes who use testosterone from competition.
LGBT sports watchdog Athlete Ally issued the following statement regarding the ruling:
“Access to sport is a human right. When (LGBT) people are systematically excluded from sport, they are denied not only an essential component of their physical, mental and emotional well-being, but also access to a community and the social support therein.”
You can sign the Athlete Ally support petition here.
Blocking athletes from competition, whether they are youth athletes or professional athletes, raises concerns on many levels. Participation in sports supports positive mental health and improves social skills along with promoting physical health.
Sin City Classic hosted its annual multisport tournament last month in Las Vegas and the dodgeball tournament boasted 500 athletes from 60 teams. Most of the Team USA men’s and women’s members competed in the co-ed division.
Winning the tournament MVP honors was trans athlete Savannah Burton, a former member of Team Canada’s women’s dodgeball team. Next up she will be competing in the Ontario provincials and hoping to qualify for Canadian Nationals.
“Access to sports participation, in the gender that they identify, should be a right for every transgender athlete,” Burton says. “The values gained from being part of a team or a competition improves self-worth, overall physical health and provides a sense of belonging. The friendships and support I have received from my women’s dodgeball team (Wildlings) has been a game changer for me and I don’t know where I would be without those incredible ladies. When organizations are inclusive, everybody wins.”
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
More than a dozen LGBTQ athletes won medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday.
Cayla Barnes, Hilary Knight, and Alex Carpenter are LGBTQ members of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won a gold medal after they defeated Canada in overtime. Knight the day before the Feb. 19 match proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, who is gay, and his partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry won gold. American alpine skier Breezy Johnson, who is bisexual, won gold in the women’s downhill. Amber Glenn, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual, was part of the American figure skating team that won gold in the team event.
Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud, who is in a relationship with Vali Höll, an Austrian mountain biker, won gold in women’s freeski slopestyle.
Bruce Mouat, who is the captain of the British curling team that won a silver medal, is gay. Six members of the Canadian women’s hockey team — Emily Clark, Erin Ambrose, Emerance Maschmeyer, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, and Marie-Philip Poulin — that won silver are LGBTQ.
Swedish freestyle skier Sandra Naeslund, who is a lesbian, won a bronze medal in ski cross.
Belgian speed skater Tineke den Dulk, who is bisexual, was part of her country’s mixed 2000-meter relay that won bronze. Canadian ice dancer Paul Poirier, who is gay, and his partner, Piper Gilles, won bronze.
Laura Zimmermann, who is queer, is a member of the Swiss women’s hockey team that won bronze when they defeated Sweden.
Outsports.com notes all of the LGBTQ Olympians who competed at the games and who medaled.
Sports
US wins Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey
Team captain Hilary Knight proposed to girlfriend on Wednesday
The U.S. women’s hockey team on Thursday won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. The game took place a day after Team USA captain Hilary Knight proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
Cayla Barnes and Alex Carpenter — Knight’s teammates — are also LGBTQ. They are among the more than 40 openly LGBTQ athletes who are competing in the games.
The Olympics will end on Sunday.
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