Michael F. Guyton-Nunley, MD
Mike Guyton-Nunley, MD is a pediatrician in Greenville, SC. He submitted this testimony opposing H3477 to the South Carolina House Special Laws Committee on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.
My name is Mike Guyton-Nunley and I am a board-certified Adolescent Medicine Specialist, Internist, and Pediatrician practicing in Greenville, South Carolina. As an individual who was born and raised in South Carolina and has spent 33 years living in this state, I strongly feel that H3477 is wrong for our core values as South Carolinians and will do more than just make Women’s Sports more “fair.” If it passes into law, it will remove many supportive connections open to our youth that have been shown to have positive impacts on their physical and mental health. In addition, it will threaten the belief that ALL our youth can soar and succeed in their personal goals beyond the current struggles of life; it is difficult to imagine promoting this line of thought to our youth. This bill has the potential to be incredibly damaging to ALL our adolescents and young adults (AYA), not only to those who are transgender.
It is no secret that the world has been unrecognizable over the last 12-15 months. Almost every aspect of our society has either suffered or continues to suffer in crisis. Rates of youth accessing care for mental health concerns, nutritional concerns, and overall safety concerns has skyrocketed and it is not slowing down. With this crisis comes a worsening disparity and division among several populations, including our transgender youth. The negative effects of the pandemic do not discriminate, which means we, as humans, need to take every possible step to keep this disparity from growing.
I have cared for hundreds of AYA who identify as trans and I provide comprehensive medical care aimed at treatment of their gender dysphoria. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the majority do not care about committees, politics, or the process of passing a law. Instead, they care about finding acceptance, comfort, and safety with those around them, essentially finding and joining in with their community. For some, just as with our non-transgender youth, such community is found through sports participation. When a middle school girl is playing her sport of choice, the point is to compete based on skill and desire to win. I truly doubt that she would feel victimized playing alongside another player who also has skill and a desire to win, has the SAME gender identity, but was born different. Trans female children ARE female and their ability to be successful in sports relies on much more than any physical attribute: teamwork, skill, courage, structure, coaching, and determination as examples. If we cannot promote these values to our youth, then I suggest THAT is what will destroy Women’s Sports.
So, I ask, what right do we have to actively prevent our youth from finding their community with those that share their gender identity? Responsibility lies with us and our “adult brains” to be the voice in the commotion of this unrecognizable world, to lead our youth through the chaos to better days, and to not pick and choose who is deserving of such connection with others. In my strongest medical opinion, denying the comradery and support that sports participation offers to those who are most at risk of facing adversity at every turn is cruel, harmful, and, for some, potentially deadly. Isn’t a life more important than winning a trophy? If the answer given to that question is “no,” then we have a much bigger issue on our hands than the birth gender of our youth in sports.
In light of the above, I strongly urge the committee to vote NO on H3477.