The NCAA put out its strongest statement yet on Monday condemning this year’s surge of bills attacking trans athletes introduced in state legislatures across the country.
In a statement posted to its website, the national collegiate athletics association suggested that states that have passed laws in 2021 limiting the participation of trans student athletes in sports, could lose out on hosting NCAA championship games as a result. Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee have already signed anti-trans bills, while dozens of U.S. states are considering their own versions of these discriminatory pieces of legislation. The majority single out trans girls, but Tennessee’s law applies to all trans students.
“When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected,” said a letter signed by the organization’s board of governors.
The NCAA added that its decision to support all athletes, regardless of gender identity, “is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition.” “Our clear expectation as the Association’s top governing body is that all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect,” the letter stated. “We are committed to ensuring that NCAA championships are open for all who earn the right to compete in them.”
While the statement is the clearest indication yet that the NCAA will oppose anti-trans sports legislation, it does not outline potential action against any particular states weighing discriminatory measures. On Thursday, West Virginia became the latest state to pass an anti-trans bill through its legislature, with House Bill 3293 clearing the state Senate by a 18-15 vote. As them. previously reported, all students would be required to “confirm” their gender assigned at birth to be eligible to compete in school sports.
West Virginia’s Republican governor, Jim Justice, has already signaled he will not stand in the way of HB 3293, telling local media last week that he will “either let it go into law or sign it.”
But if North Carolina’s House Bill 2 is any indication, states that press forward with anti-trans legislation in spite of potential action from the NCAA may be playing with fire. When the Tar Heel State enacted an anti-trans “bathroom bill” 5 years ago, it quickly amended the law following boycotts projected to cost the state $3.7 billion over the next decade, according to the Associated Press. One of the leading drivers of that financial hit would have been the loss of NCAA championship games.
While Tennessee lawmakers dismissed fears of economic backlash in passing Senate Bill 228, many states positioned to discriminate against trans athletes in 2021 would be directly affected by an NCAA boycott.
Kansas, where Republicans are likely to pass an anti-trans sports bill in the coming days, will host the Division II wrestling national championship in 2024 and the Division I championship for men’s basketball the following year, according to the Kansas City Star. The paper also reports that Missouri, which has pushed 9 anti-trans bills this year alone, is set to welcome the Division I wrestling championship in 2024 and the Division I volleyball championship the year after, possibly losing the state millions in revenue.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups urged states like Kansas and Missouri to heed the NCAA’s warning, not only because of the economic impact but also the human costs.
“State lawmakers around the country should pay attention: discriminating against transgender students is wrong, against the law, and costly,” said Chase Strangio, deputy director of trans justice for the American Civil Liberties Union. “If you continue to pass these misguided laws state taxpayers risk not only costly litigation but the loss of revenue from these tournaments.”
