YAH-HUH! #9 Libero

So, each week when I try to write the YAH-HUH! Blog (9 weeks now, I think), I am trying to stay “on topic” — trying to stay true to the person who can’t really explain factually what is happening but know they have a gut pull in their heart that tells what is right. Values. Experiences … Facts? 

But, this week is a little different. Why? Because I KNOW (fact) that transgender troops have served America well and have instilled nothing but trust and camaraderie with their fellow soldiers. I know young trans athletes are simply striving to excel in a sport that they love. I also KNOW that both of these “inclusions” play into every fear the public has about what being transgender means.

Honestly. Given what transgender people have to go through simply to be who they are — that kind of fortitude, emotional awareness and fierceness — that’s exactly who I want covering my back/leading my team. 

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If a strictly hetero team feels like they can’t compete agains a team with a trans girl on it, maybe they should find their own trans girl – the same way you look for a killer Middle Blocker for your volleyball team. Do you care what she looks like, what she reads, how she dances? No, you care how she plays. The girl with the strength, stamina and smarts. 

Oh, but it’s not fair right? Because trans girl has the inherent power of a pre-pubescent boy. 

Then, welcome more of those girls in!!! They are just waiting to be invited.

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What? You don’t have a trans girl for your team? Maybe your school district should open its doors? I bet she’s there but doesn’t feel welcome. I bet she would love to be on the court.

Why not court her?

The absolute value that trans people bring to our lives — on so many levels — is immeasurable. “I’m not going to get into the whole “grooming” thing — like by recognizing trans kids you are making other kids want to be trans (that’s some serious narrow thinking bullshit) —but hell yeah, make a point of welcoming the transgender community at your school/on your teams? 

It’s a whole different kind of win. 

There are more trans/non-binary kids than you think. You might even have enough for a whole volleyball team — football, baseball or field hockey!

Just reach out. You’ll never know until you ask.

In the meantime, here is some info on supporting transgender rights totally copied and pasted fro GoogleAI:

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)

The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), 

The Transgender Law Center (TLC). 

You can also reach out to organizations like the GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for advocacy and legal support. 

Additionally, organizations like the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and the Trans People of Color Coalition focus on legal services and advocacy specifically for transgender people of color. 

Finally, some 2025 Transgender wins.

Hope this finds you moving forward and thinking about what could be rather than what is.

XO

Leslie