When I was in school, I had a friend who was a fantastic athlete (she still is). She was tall, thin, wore her hair short and could keep up with any of the guys in gym class and outperform 90 percent of them in just about any sport. She didn’t wear makeup and her wardrobe consisted mostly of gender-neutral athletic apparel. We played on a few teams together and, once the other team (and, sadly, their parents) realized how superior her athletic abilities were, the taunts inevitably would begin. “Is that a BOY they have playing out there?” “Are we sure this team is ALL girls?” It wounded her, deeply, and her teammates watched, helpless, as her self-esteem took hit after hit after hit. I think of her often these days and I’m grateful that she played sports before the trans kid witch hunt that is sweeping conservative states today. – Julie DiCaro Read More
