I coach high school diving and my summer camp started last night. I had a small group of incoming freshmen attend and one of them has me wondering how their situation should be handled.
The situation is the athlete is just beginning to transition from female to male. Not a big deal and certainly not the first student in our school that is transitioning. My issue comes in with what team the athlete should compete on or if they will be allowed to compete at all (more on this below).
The issue is swimsuit requirements for the sport. My initial thought is that if the gender identity is male, and the school recognizes this identity and classifies the student as male throughout the school day he should compete as a male. The problem is high school swimming and diving rules state that male athletes must wear a swim suit that does not extend beyond the hips. This individual definitely has female breast development and wearing a “male suit” would most likely not be considered appropriate and wearing a “female” suit would result in disqualification and no other garments (shirt) can be worn. On the flip side I doubt that it would be acceptable to identify as male in all other aspects of education but then compete as a female due to suit or modesty requirements.
My initial plan is to let the school administration and state athletic board make a decision and I want to submit the request for review early so there are no surprises or scrambling come fall but want to see how others feel about this before I submit the request. Has anyone else run into this type of scenario or have any thoughts.
I don’t want this to turn into a political discussion (TOS) but simply want to formulate the best possible plan for the athlete before I submit my request. Thanks is advance.
Thank you for being an advocate and planning ahead for this student.
My only advice would be to sit down soon with the student and his family to see what their thoughts are and if they have any input. They may be new to scenarios like this for the student or this may be their first real encounter of what to do. Either way, involve them, their feelings, their ideas - right from the start.
That is one tough situation and it’s great that it’s being so thoughtfully considered. I think you’re handling it correctly in getting a decision early on this so that the family can try and challenge the uniform rules if they so choose, should they get a denial for special consideration. I agree with the above in making sure your boss all the way up the chain in the school has the issue on their radar.
^^This. While there may not be a direct policy there is likely some precedence for non-conforming uniforms in other sports. For instance Muslim athletes who must compete fully covered. (Not directly same but in terms of being allowed to modify what is worn) Also maybe google or reach out to LBTQ groups that advocate for transitioning teens. Someone might have dealt with this before.
One option might be for the teen to wear the standard male suit, but also wear a kind of “rash guard” top. It would cover the chest and wouldn’t be a standard female suit so the athletic board might find that preferable.
Contact Gender Spectrum. This is a terrific organization that can help all the parties find resources, ideas, and support to navigate the situation with grace and respect. To the OP…you’re already doing great!
What a difficult situation. What I am seeing is high school presents some of the most severe challenges for dealing with transgender youth because their transition is in the early stages. There is a precedent for your situation, but it happened later, in college. A transgender swimmer was recruited (as a woman) by Harvard but then competed on the men’s swim team. He had a double mastectomy.
I would go to the school administration – athletic director, etc. Let them handle it. As a coach, you are in a no win situation. You need to be in a “I’m just following the rules” situation. Focus on teaching the kids how to dive. Good luck.
Includes link to this document with USA Swimming’s recommendations: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/2bc3fc_2dd9480f771b45a48537f742e35a965c.pdf
Document contains the statement that “Transgender athletes should be permitted to wear whatever swimsuit is most comfortable for them, so long as the suit does not extend below the knee or past the shoulders.”
I am going to assume the parents are already aware of the transition, but if not, be careful of your school’s policy. My district will not allow teachers/employees to disclose anything related to gender preference, pronoun choice etc, without permission from the student first.
Yeah, this really doesn’t sounds like coach level stuff. Is this real? It sounds completely unlikely to me, that a trans kid would even put themselves in this situation. The focus on the swimsuit is only yours?