In this lesson, students will learn about a wave of legislation that seeks to prevent transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports — and about the student athletes who are fighting against it.
Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.
Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “How Some States Are Moving to Restrict Transgender Women in Sports” by Gillian R. Brassil
Lawmakers in 25 states have introduced measures this year that aim to restrict transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports. Supporters of these bills say they protect women and girls; critics call them an “attack on trans youth and people.” On Wednesday, more than 500 student-athletes signed a letter to the N.C.A.A., pressing its leaders to stop holding championship events in states that restrict or aim to restrict transgender athletes.
In this lesson, you will learn more about the proposed legislation and read the letter the students signed. Then you will respond to the featured article in writing, art or discussion.
Warm Up
Part 1: How comfortable do you feel about talking about gender and gender identity?
Start with a temperature check. You do not have to share any of your responses.
For each of the following statements, write whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree:
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I feel very comfortable talking about gender identity.
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I can talk about gender identity using language that I know won’t offend anyone.
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I feel like conversations about gender often become too political.
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I wish I knew more about the different ways that people express and talk about their gender identity.
Then expand on your responses with a free write using any of the following prompts: How comfortable are you considering your own gender identity? How do you feel when other people talk about their gender identities? Are discussions around gender common in your community, or do people avoid them? What do you know about the recent laws passed that bar transgender athletes from playing in sports divisions that match their gender identity?
Part 2: Defining key terms
To help you feel prepared to engage with the language and themes in the featured article, spend a few minutes looking at the following terms and definitions from the article “The ABCs of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+.” You may be familiar with some or all of these words, or they may be new to you. As you read, annotate or take notes about anything new you learned, or write questions about anything you don’t understand.
CISGENDER Someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
TRANSGENDER A wide-ranging term for people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth.
GENDER NONCONFORMING, OR G.N.C. One who expresses gender outside traditional norms associated with masculinity or femininity. Not all gender-nonconforming people are transgender, and some transgender people express gender in conventionally masculine or feminine ways.
NONBINARY A person who identifies as neither male nor female and sees themselves outside the gender binary.
GENDERQUEER Another term often used to describe someone whose gender identity is outside the strict male/female binary. They may exhibit both traditionally masculine and feminine qualities or neither.
GENDER FLUID A term used by people whose identity shifts or fluctuates. Sometimes these individuals may identify or express themselves as more masculine on some days, and more feminine on others.
GENDER-NEUTRAL Someone who prefers not to be described by a specific gender, but prefers “they” as a singular pronoun (the American Dialect Society’s 2015 Word of the Year) or the honorific “Mx.,” a substitute for “Mr.” or “Ms.” that entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015.
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article and then answer the following questions. If you prefer to respond to the article in a more personal way, skip to the first activity in the Going Further section.
1. The article begins by describing a recent bill passed in Mississippi. What is the bill and what would it do?
2. What criteria does the N.C.A.A. use to select states to host championships? Why did over 500 student-athletes sign a letter that was sent to the N.C.A.A.?
3. What is the argument in support of bills that attempt to prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports? What is the argument against them? What is your reaction and response to each argument? Which do you find more compelling and why?
4. What are some of the potential consequences of this legislation on all student-athletes?
5. How does the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021 differ from the executive order related to gender that President Biden signed in January? How does the act differ from the Supreme Court ruling that said workplaces could not fire people for being gay or transgender?
6. Some have argued that allowing transgender girls to compete in women’s sports violates Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational organizations that receive federal funding. Do you agree? Why or why not?
7. People who identify as transgender make up a small percentage of the country’s population, and yet there is significant legislation and concern about the presence of transgender athletes in sports. What is your reaction to that? Why do you think this is the case?
Going Further
Option 1: Reflect in Writing or Art.
Respond to the article in a method of your choice: You might write an essay, a poem or in stream-of-consciousness-style prose. You could create a visual response by compiling important quotations or images that reflect your thinking. Or you might choose a color, a symbol and an image to illustrate your reaction to the article.
Whatever you choose to create, you can use the following prompts to guide your reflection:
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How comfortable are you, and the people in your community, with having conversations about gender identity?
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What is one thing that you learned from the article?
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What is one comment that resonates with your experiences or beliefs? What is one quotation that you disagree with? How do your identity and personal experience influence your perspective?
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How do the themes in the article affect you, your family and your school community?
If you’re comfortable, you can share some of your responses or your artwork with your classmates or in the comments section of this article.
Option 2: Respond to the Student Athletes.
Read the five-paragraph letter to the N.C.A.A. signed by over 500 student-athletes. Then respond to it in writing or via a Fishbowl Discussion, using the following prompts as a guide:
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Share one thing that you connected with in the letter, if anything.
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If you do not agree with any part of the letter, share another perspective or ask a clarifying question.
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Do you believe, as the letter suggests, that the legislation you read about in the article could affect all student-athletes? Why or why not? Does this mean the bills should not pass?
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If you were a leader at the N.C.A.A., how might you respond to this letter?
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Share a suggestion for a possible next step that the student-athletes might take; or discuss an action you would like to take within your community.
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March 12, 2021 at 04:00PM
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Lesson of the Day: ‘How Some States Are Moving to Restrict Transgender Women in Sports’ - The New York Times
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