Cora Webb
Cora Webb, the Program Director at We Are Family, submitted this testimony opposing H3477 to the South Carolina House Special Laws Committee on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.
Hello my name is Cora Webb and I am a constituent living in Charleston, SC. As Program Director of We Are Family, an organization that supports LGBTQIA+ youth, I am testifying against the proposed H.3477 bill, disgustingly known as the "Save Women’s Sports Act."
I would like to open my testimony by stating that trans youth are not a threat to women’s sports or any category of sports. The rhetoric of this bill is obviously not based in fact, science, or reality. What about the protections of trans youth? What about their right to play sports without being discriminated against?
This bill, that is based in ignorance and an irrational fear of trans people, targets trans youth who already disproportionately suffer other forms of violence in day to day life. As much as the sponsors of this bill say they want to protect youth in school, they seem to disregard that some of the youth who they need to be protecting are trans.
First and foremost, the argument of trans women and girls having a “unfair biological advantage” has consistently been proven to be false by study and trans experience. The work of Dr. Rachel McKinnon, a professor and world champion cyclist is one of the endless research items I could cite. She has done extensive and renowned work on the subject of trans rights in sports. In a 2018 article entitled Trans people like me have a right to be part of society — and sport, Dr. Mckinnon speaks against the argument that testosterone must affect a trans woman's performance as an athlete. She states “...Science doesn’t support that idea. The research we have so far, a 2017 study commissioned by track and field’s world governing body, shows no relationship between endogenous testosterone and performance in men…. When people think of higher testosterone being an advantage, they’re thinking of exogenous testosterone — as in, testosterone added to the body via pills, cream or injection. Such practices — better known as “doping” — are banned….There’s no strong evidence so far to suggest that someone with naturally higher testosterone is any faster, stronger or bigger than someone with naturally lower testosterone. In fact, there are elite male track and field athletes with endogenous testosterone within or below the average female range.” There is no reason to exclude trans women and girls from sports.
In addition, everyone is physically different. Everyone has different levels of hormones, different body shapes, different physical abilities, etc. We all have various levels of testosterone and estrogen, regardless of our gender. There are no physical characteristics or experiences that all cisgender men or cisgender women have. All cis men do not/cannot produce sperm or have high levels of testosterone. All cis women do not/cannot menstruate, bear children, or have high levels of estrogen, but
are still considered women. I mention this to highlight how these differences do not exclude cis men and women from being “men” or “women.” So how can these differences be used against trans women and girls? These biological distinctions are ridiculous. There are no characteristics or experiences that all women and men have.
As someone who works with trans youth, whether it be from family, peers, school administrators and teachers, co-workers, the media, or strangers, they are constantly dealing with attacks on their identity. The stress of having to deal with this puts my youth at risk for higher rates of self harm and suicide. I would also note that being LGBTQ+ is not itself a risk factor for suicidal behavior, but social stigma and discrimination unsafe schools and bullying, and familial rejection are associated with mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, and suicidal behavior. In effect, this bill will contribute to the further endangerment of our youth, which is a deplorable action.
In conclusion, I am once again sick and tired of this bill and bills like this being introduced. I wish the sponsors of these bills would spend their time trying to make life easier for their constituents, but they are selfish. During this time of anguish, are we discussing how to further support your houseless, sick, and dying constituents during a pandemic? No, we are talking about further discriminating against the youth of this state. There is so much more that can be done with our time during this pandemic.
All in all, we have to protect our youth not from other youth in sports, but from bills such as this one. I will once again state that I am against the proposed H.3477 bill, disgustingly known as the "Save Women’s Sports Act."