New Resources: Developed in Partnership by Athlete Ally & Out In Athletics

Out in Athletics recently partnered with Athlete Ally to create two timely resources for athletic administrators: 1) FAQ: LGBTQA+ / Transgender & Gender Expansive Policies, and 2) Model Policies: Transgender and Nonbinary Athlete Inclusion. These resources have been made available as open access resources by both Out in Athletics and Athlete Ally.

FAQ Document:

This document was put together based on a series of frequently asked questions by athletic administrators. We hope you will find this resource useful in developing LGBTQA+ policies at your institution or within your athletic department.

Model Policy:

This model policy was adapted from Lewis & Clark College Athletics and was created in partnership between Athlete Ally and Out in Athletics. Many policies allowing the participation of transgender athletes in sport follow the 2015 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Statement on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism. This consensus statement -- an update from the 2011 statement -- no longer requires transgender athletes to get gender affirming surgery, but still contains problematic and arbitrary restrictions on hormone levels.

It is important to note that policies on transgender and nonbinary participation in sport are constantly changing. U Sports -- the national sport governing body of university sports in Canada -- released a groundbreaking policy in 2018 that allows transgender athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their gender identity, no hormone treatment needed. What U Sports leadership found was that there was a serious lack of scientific evidence that hormones significantly impact athletic performance.

The policy that the NCAA endorses is based on the 2015 Consensus statement. We have written the below policy based on NCAA guidelines. We hope that you will use this policy as a resource for your athletic department to ensure the full inclusion of transgender and nonbinary athletes.