We have a few students on campus who currently don't identify as either male or female. For co-rec sports, it's not a problem however imleagues requires that they select a gender in order to create an account. How do you handle these students at your institutions? For single gender sports, do you have a separate league or do you allow them to compete in whichever league they feel comfortable in?
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Gender of Players
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That is a great topic! Any information brought fourth about this would be great.
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Hello, at Sacramento State we have been exploring this situation as well.
We will allow the individual to play in whatever league they feel most comfortable. More organized leagues such as Sport Clubs and NCAA sports require proof of testosterone or hormone treatment and often specify a certain period of time that the person needs to be on the medication, but with Intramurals, we aren't that picky.
The main challenge becomes educating your participants on this matter. Educating them there are and will be trans-gender participants, as well as allowing the trans-gender participants to feel welcome and know there are options for them.
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Hi,
At Queens' University this summer we had this concern brought forward by one of our CoRec softball teams. We ended up adding a question to the account-creation page, that was:"Queen’s Intramurals acknowledges that the Male/Female options presented above, do not encompass all individuals. The information is collected because many of our leagues are “Co-Rec”, requiring a certain number of males & females. We are examining different options, and appreciate your understanding in your registration. I identify as: "
We then presented several options. The individuals still had to select Male/Female, but could also select the gender they identify with. This satisfied the players concerns.
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Hello all,
The NIRSA has done a great job in their work with creating an inclusive environment for transgender athletes and those who do not identify with a specific gender. Check out their work on this subject here: http://nirsa.net/nirsa/wp-content/uploads/here.pdf.
Also, for our IM program we worked closely with our GLBTIQ Office on campus to draft a "Gender Identity Statement" which, at it's core, asks participants to choose the gender they most closely identify with when registering. It also includes our support and the ability to change this selection if necessary on their own accord.
Hope this helps!
