"Your decision has taken away a piece of her heart and her parents. This clip makes me emotional every single time I watch it. It's the reality so many transgender kids are now facing, even fifteen years after this video was taken. My dad said it ripped a piece of his heart and the family's, and he was right."
"I played soccer, flag football, lacrosse, and tennis growing up. It's how I made my best friends, gained resilience, and learned how to be part of a team. I was only eight years old when I was denied the right to play travel soccer. I was told I had a competitive advantage being assigned male at birth, but the truth was this was before male puberty, and I was one of the smallest girls on the team."
"No trans kid should be told you don't belong. We don't choose to be trans; it's just who we are."
Jazz Jennings, a 25-year-old trans reality TV star, released an emotional archive clip of her father crying over her exclusion from girls' soccer at age eight due to trans sports bans. Currently, 27 states have laws prohibiting trans students from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity, though some face court-ordered enforcement blocks. Jennings emphasizes that sports provided crucial developmental experiences including friendship, resilience, and teamwork. She notes the ban occurred before male puberty when she was among the smallest team members, contradicting competitive advantage claims. Working with the American Civil Liberties Union, Jennings advocates against these restrictions, stressing that transgender identity is inherent and trans youth deserve belonging and inclusion.
Read at PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news
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