1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any legislation that would ban transgender students from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, including bills currently being promoted by some Michigan Republican legislators in response to the recent Title IX complaint filed by Sean Lechner regarding a volleyball game between Monroe and Ann Arbor schools. The Michigan High School Athletic Association has confirmed that the waiver granted for the 2025-26 fall sports season was issued in compliance with applicable state and federal law. Transgender students deserve the same opportunities as their peers to participate in athletics, which provide critical benefits including physical health, teamwork skills, leadership development, and social connection. Excluding transgender girls from girls' sports isolates them from their peers and denies them these fundamental educational experiences. At the news conference on Monday, State Representative Rylee Linting from Grosse Ile Township claimed this issue is not about singling out a particular student, yet the proposed legislation would do exactly that by targeting transgender youth. Briley Lechner, the 16-year-old athlete at the center of this complaint, described admiring how high the transgender athlete could jump. This is the normal experience of competition, where athletes encounter peers with different physical abilities and work to improve their own skills. The concerns raised in the complaint about locker room arrangements are legitimate facility management issues that schools can address through appropriate accommodations, not blanket bans on participation. The MHSAA clarified that individual schools make these decisions, and schools have multiple options for ensuring all students' privacy and comfort. Banning transgender students from sports does not protect anyone. It harms vulnerable young people who simply want to play with their friends and be part of a team. I urge you to stand against discriminatory legislation and support policies that allow all students, including transgender students, to participate fully in school athletics.