Over 400 current and former NCAA, Professional, Olympic and Paralympic athletes have sent an open letter to the NCAA Board of Governors advocating for the protection of transgender athletes’ right to participate in NCAA sports. The athletes include notable figures like WNBA coach Cheryl Reeve, USWNT champion Megan Rapinoe, as well as WNBA players Layshia Clarendon, Sue Bird, and Brianna Turner.
Megan Rapinoe, a champion U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team player and Athlete Ally Ambassador, emphasized the importance of inclusive sports in the open letter. She urged fellow cisgender women athletes to stand in solidarity with transgender athletes, rejecting any bans that claim to protect women’s sports but instead promote exclusion. The athletes wanted to emphasize that everyone should have the right to participate in sports, regardless of gender identity.
In addition to the athletes’ letter, Athlete Ally, 53 LGBTQI+ advocacy organizations, 56 PFLAG chapters
