Here’s why Colorado’s transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with high school girls (Opinion)

Editor s note This column ran as a pro-con with another column that supported transgender athletes getting to play girls sports I ve played co-ed sports my entire life and it has never felt unfair or unsafe From playing co-ed soccer in elementary school to being the only girl on my giant slalom unit through middle school with my Buddy Werner race association My husband and I played flag football in college together After college I joined a co-ed soccer group to help keep me in shape and to meet friends in a new town I golf with men and I ski with my nephews It boggles my mind that suddenly transgender athletes playing with girls and women have become so controversial and so divisive There is nothing dangerous or unfair about boys and girls playing together and when it does become unfair let s say at the end of middle school there are simple measures that can be taken to make certain that women and girls are getting their fair access to playing time quality coaching and of unit awards records and eventually college scholarships Long before transgender athletes became a political fight I presumed that all sports should be co-ed through middle school Co-ed sports would open up football and baseball for girls without having to start from scratch advancing a campaign Girls would get equal funding and better growth of their talent and skills earlier in their athletic careers There s no indication that any of these sports are less safe for girls than boys Transgender athletes deserve to play and let s be clear with all of the focus society is placing the present day on their gender transition it s a miracle any of them are brave enough to step onto a track or field let alone to thrive on a squad or in an individual sport Transgender athletes should be celebrated in populace schools across this country not vilified Colorado high school sports exist for the sole purpose of offering school children the benefits of organized athletics All kids should get to participate and it s not challenging to see why for transgender girls joining an all-boys unit might be one barrier too a multitude of no matter how brave and strong they are Perhaps specific day girls playing up on boys teams will be so commonplace that transgender girls will feel welcome but currently is not that day None of the people calling to ban transgender girls from the girls teams have expressed an interest in undertaking the hard work required to ensure those same athletes feel welcome on the boys group My mother and I didn t fight about much but I swore I d never forgive her for not letting me join the wrestling gang in middle school I thought she was being sexist and unfair She was trying to protect me from stigma and harassment In retrospect she was ostensibly right and any happiness I got from winning wrestling matches would have been overshadowed by the animosity sent my way from several of the boys and likely several of the parents too Until we get to the point where boys teams open their doors to anyone who can compete transgender girls belong on high school girls teams There is nothing unfair about losing to a transgender girl in high school just as there was nothing unfair to the boys I could beat down the hill in the Buddy Werner League Anyone who has watched kids ski races knows that until about high school the girls are often faster on the unit I don t know the reason for it but I also know it s not unfair to have them compete against each other And yet when we get to professional ski racing for decades women were not allowed to even race the same subject as men in downhill and Super G Women are done being held back This moment in history is a chance to make all sports co-ed through middle school and allow high school athletes to play where they need to play to get the fierce competition and coaching they deserve The Colorado High School Sessions Association should stand strong with its anti-discrimination initiative and allow girls and boys to play where they need to be to endorsement fierce competition advancement of skills and all the other benefits that come from being a high school athlete Megan Schrader is the editor of the Denver Post s opinion pages Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns editorials and more To send a letter to the editor about this article submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail