[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Featured Image caption” _builder_version=”4.2″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″]<\/p>\n
A South Carolina senator wants high school athletes to play sports according to their birth gender. He is aware of a lawsuit filed by families of three Connecticut athletes, pictured, who are challenging the state’s transgender athlete policy. Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_margin=”10px|||” custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”4.3.4″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|” hover_enabled=”0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″]<\/p>\n
By\u00a0LANDON STAMPER\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0MADDOX MCKIBBEN-GREENE<\/strong><\/p>\n A South Carolina senator has introduced legislation that would require high school athletes to compete according to the sex on their birth certificates, a nod to the ongoing controversy about how athletes who identify as transgender may participate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, said he introduced the bill because he wants to make sure that everyone is competing on the same playing field.<\/p>\n \u201cI became aware last year that there have been issues in other places that young men who identified as young women wanted to play in high school athletics with young women, and I just think that\u2019s unfair to young women due to the natural biological advantages that men have in sports competition,\u201d Cash said.<\/p>\n If passed, this bill would make South Carolina the ninth state to have this gender requirement. Currently, the South Carolina High School League has no policy regarding transgender athletes.<\/p>\n A recent federal lawsuit filed in Connecticut seeks to block transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports. The lawsuit was filed by the families of three female high school runners.<\/p>\n One of the girls involved, Alanna Smith, says that transgender athletes have an advantage.<\/p>\n \u201cMentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts,\u201d Smith said, according to the Associated Press.\u00a0\u201cThat biological unfairness doesn\u2019t go away because of what someone believes about gender identity.\u201d<\/p>\n The argument of unfairness is the main reason given by those who oppose transgender athletes, specifically the differing testosterone levels in men and women.<\/p>\n Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian nonprofit organization, is representing the girls and their families.<\/p>\n \u201cIn track-and-field events that do not use equipment, the physiological differences between males and females after puberty are stark in the record books,\u201d the lawsuit says. \u201cNo one doubts that top male and female high school athletes are equally committed to excelling in their sport, and train equally hard. Yet boys and men consistently run faster and jump higher and farther than girls and women.\u201d<\/p>\n Carla Pfeffer, director of women\u2019s and gender studies at the University of South Carolina, has a different perspective.<\/p>\n Pfeffer, whose research focuses on transgender families, says that people tend not to talk about the variance and diversity of hormone levels that can occur within a gender. According to Pfeffer, there’s a greater difference when comparing testosterone within a gender than comparing testosterone levels between any given cisgender man and cisgender woman. If someone is cisgender, it means that person identifies with their birth sex.<\/p>\n Kathryn Elrod, a transgender student at UofSC, believes the lawsuit unfairly is aimed to control who can participate.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you start excluding people based on what their hormones are, then you\u2019re basically just trying to find the ideal athlete,\u201d Elrod said. \u201cYou\u2019d have a sport with, like, four people competing in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Elrod has been on hormones for around nine months to transition from male to female and said she is not as strong as she once was.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no hormonal difference between me and any given cis woman,\u201d Elrod said.<\/p>\n Cash said that from his understanding, \u201c[transgender women] would still retain advantages from hormones of previous years, and there\u2019s a pretty obvious change in bone structure of who can run the fastest. It would still be unfair to women.\u201d<\/p>\n In neighboring North Carolina, transgender athletes must compete according to their assigned gender at birth\u00a0if they are not on hormones. If they are on hormones, they can fill out a request form in order to compete with the gender they identify as.<\/p>\n Pfeffer believes this exclusion can be compared to past segregation by race.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe would see similar complaints if we look back in history,\u201d Pfeffer said. “White parents arguing against why some black students shouldn\u2019t be included on sports teams. \u2018Oh, when you include those people, then our child couldn\u2019t possibly win those competitions. These people from these other groups are naturally inclined to excel.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Pfeffer says this lawsuit could\u00a0negatively affect the overall wellness of students.<\/p>\n “Do people have the right to be included in sports or not? We know that athletes, those who participate in organized sports, tend to have better GPAs, they tend to have better mental health, they tend to be more socially integrated in their communities,\u201d Pfeffer said. \u201cThey have all these markers that kind of often court advantage in society, so keeping transgender athletes out of sports can do a disservice to them personally.\u201d<\/p>\n Eric N\u2019Dri, a four-time Olympian runner and current assistant track coach at Columbia College, grew up around sports in the Ivory Coast. He said that gender was never at the forefront of his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I grew up, I did not know the difference between transgender and bisexual. We don\u2019t have that in Africa. When I came to the U.S., I started to realize there\u2019s a difference,\u201d N\u2019Dri said. \u201c[Transgender people] have always been at every program no matter what. Even during the Roman Empire, they were there. No one worried about them then, so why now?\u201d<\/p>\n There are not currently any transgender athletes on Columbia College’s track and field team.<\/p>\n Only one of the track and field coaches at the University of South Carolina responded when contacted for comment, saying the issue was too complex to talk about.<\/p>\n Pfeffer said that these conversations are reflective of how people see the typical gender divide in sports.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only think about comparing men and women. If you really think about it, too, we don\u2019t seem to care about transgender athletes unless we\u2019re talking about transgender women competing in sports,\u201d Pfeffer said. \u201cSo, we\u2019re also coming from this notion of women as the constant deficit, that no woman could ever be as strong of a competitor \u2014 as powerful of a competitor \u2014 as a man.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Trans-P2W_Stamper-1.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.2″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”4.2″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″]<\/p>\n Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, is entering the debate over transgender athletes by filing legislation to require high school athletes to compete according to their birth gender. Credit: The State<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Trans-P3W_Stamper.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.2″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.2″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n A transgender flag is painted in the tunnel next to the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Trans-P4W_Stamper.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.2″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”4.2″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n Eric N\u2019Dri, the assistant track coach at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina, says he doesn\u2019t have a problem with transgender athletes.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Trans-P5W_Stamper.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.2″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”4.2″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||” text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n A transgender flag hangs inside of Kathryn Elrod\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Trans-G1_Stamper-1.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.2″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A South Carolina senator has introduced legislation requiring high school transgender athletes to compete according to the gender on their birth certificates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":31374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" By MADDOX MCKIBBEN-GREENE<\/strong> and LANDON STAMPER<\/strong><\/span><\/p> A recent lawsuit filed in Connecticut seeks to block transgender athletes from participating in girls' sports.<\/span><\/p> The lawsuit, filed by the families of three female high school runners, would make Connecticut the ninth state to require high school athletes to participate in sports based on the gender on their birth certificates, regardless of the gender they identify as.<\/span><\/p> One of the girls involved, Alanna Smith, says that the transgender athletes have an advantage.<\/span><\/p> \u201cMentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThat biological unfairness doesn\u2019t go away because of what someone believes about gender identity.\u201d<\/span><\/p> The argument of unfairness is the main reason given by those who oppose transgender athletes, specifically the differing testosterone levels in men and women.<\/span><\/p> \u201cIn track-and-field events that do not use equipment, the physiological differences between males and females after puberty are stark in the record books,\u201d the lawsuit says, \u201cno one doubts that top male and female high school athletes are equally committed to excelling in their sport, and train equally hard. Yet boys and men consistently run faster and jump higher and farther than girls and women.\u201d <\/span><\/p> However, Carla Pfeiffer, the director of women\u2019s and gender studies at the University of South Carolina, has a different perspective.<\/span><\/p> Pfeiffer, whose research focuses on transgender families, says that people tend not to talk about the variance and diversity of hormone levels that can occur within a gender.<\/span><\/p> According to Pfeiffer, there's a greater difference when comparing testosterone within a gender than comparing testosterone levels between any given cisgender man and cisgender woman.<\/strong><\/p> Kathryn Elrod, a transgender student at UofSC, disagrees with the argument behind the lawsuit and sees it as people trying to control who can participate.<\/span><\/p> \u201cIf you start excluding people based on what their hormones are, then you\u2019re basically just trying to find the ideal athlete,\u201d Elrod said. \u201cYou\u2019d have a sport with, like, four people competing in it.\u201d<\/span><\/p> Elrod has been on hormones for around nine months and said she is not as strong as she once was.<\/span><\/p> \u201cThere\u2019s no hormonal difference between me and any given cis woman,\u201d Elrod said.<\/span><\/p> Pfeiffer thinks this is an inclusion issue at its core and compared it to when sports have been race-segregated in the past.<\/span><\/p> \u201cWe would see similar complaints if we look back in history,\u201d Pfeiffer said. \"White parents arguing against why some blacks students shouldn\u2019t be included on sports teams. \u2018Oh when you include those people, then our child couldn\u2019t possibly win those competitions. These people from these other groups are naturally inclined to excel.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u201cWell, I think in general, people should know that it is, at its core, an inclusion issue. So, do people have the right to be included in sports or not? We know that athletes, those who participate in organized sports, tend to have better GPAs, they tend to have better mental health, they tend to be more socially integrated in their communities,\u201d Pfeiffer said. \u201cThey have all these markers that kind of often court advantage in society and so keeping transgender athletes out of sports can do a disservice to them personally.\u201d<\/span><\/p> Eric N\u2019Dri, a four-time Olympian runner and current assistant track coach at Columbia College, grew up around sports in the Ivory Coast. For him, gender was never at the forefront of his mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cWhen I grew up, I did not know the difference between transgender, bisexual\u2026we don\u2019t have that in Africa. When I came to the U.S., I started to realize there\u2019s a difference,\u201d N\u2019Dri said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201c[Transgender people] have always been at every program no matter what. Even during the Roman Empire, they were there. No one worried about them then, so why now?\u201d N\u2019Dri said. \u201cThat\u2019s my question: why now?\u201d<\/span><\/p> Pfeiffer said that these conversations are reflective of how people see the typical gender divide in sports.<\/span><\/p> \u201cWe only think about comparing men and women. If you really think about it, too, we don\u2019t seem to care about transgender athletes unless we\u2019re talking about transgender women competing in sports,\u201d Pfeiffer said. \u201cSo, we\u2019re also coming from this notion of women as the constant deficit, that no woman could ever be as strong of a competitor \u2014 as powerful of a competitor \u2014 as a man.\u201d<\/span><\/p> After the three Connecticut students filed the lawsuit to ban trans athletes from competing against them, one of the runners, <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Chelsea Mitchell, won against her trans teammate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cGirls deserve to compete on a level playing field. Forcing them to compete against boys isn\u2019t fair, shatters their dreams, and destroys their athletic opportunities,\u201d said ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb.<\/p> The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference policy regularly results in boys out-performing and displacing girls in competitive high-school track events across Connecticut, depriving female athletes of victories, opportunities to compete at a higher level, and the public recognition critical to college recruiting and scholarship opportunities.<\/p> Quotes from N\u2019Dri I also want to include<\/span><\/i><\/p> \u201cWe can\u2019t just kick them out of the sport. They\u2019re all still human beings. Just because he\u2019s changing his identity doesn\u2019t mean he can\u2019t play sports.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \u201cWe cannot get them out of the sport. It\u2019s too late.They should\u2019ve done this 100 years ago. We live in a society now where everything has changed, so everybody needs to get used to it and just move on.\u201d<\/span><\/p> Possible end quote?<\/span><\/i><\/p> \u201cAnother thing is that you never hear these stories about when trans women lose to cis women. You only hear it when they win, and it\u2019s not every time because that would be ridiculous,\u201d Elrod said. \u201cIt\u2019s just these people looking for cases to find an excuse to keep us silent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[67,62,39,68,55,70,38,69],"tags":[1599,1143,1598,1597,1601,479,1624,1602,1623,685,99,1596,408,1359,1360,1600],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31357"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31357"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32234,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31357\/revisions\/32234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}