US football star Megan Rapinoe has slammed conservative lawmakers over the numerous anti-trans bills sweeping the US.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, numerous states across America have either enacted or introduced laws targeting trans people and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
From Alabama and Iowa to Arizona and Tennessee, the amount of hate and bigotry has steadily increased over a short period of time.
Out of the array of harmful bills, many have attacked trans athlete’s right to participate in sports – which has seen significant pushback from LGBTQ+ advocates, including Rapinoe.
In a recent interview with Time Magazine, the Olympic athlete slammed the harmful bills, stating: “I’m 100% supportive of trans inclusion. People do not know very much about it.
“We’re missing almost everything. Frankly, I think what a lot of people know is versions of the right’s talking points because they are very loud. They’re very consistent, and they’re relentless.”
Rapinoe went on to say that “sports are not the most important thing in life” before stating that the topic of trans inclusion is being put through an “extremely tiny lens of elite sports.”
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“Like that is not the way that we need to be framing this question. We’re talking about kids. We’re talking about people’s lives. We’re talking about the entire state government coming down on one child in some states, three children in some states,” she explained.
“They are committing suicide because they are being told that they’re gross and different and evil and sinful and they can’t play sports with their friends that they grew up with. Not to mention trying to take away health care. I think it’s monstrous.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the OL Reign captain encouraged conservative naysayers to “take a step back” and realise that their children’s high school sports team is not more important than a human life.
“Show me the evidence that trans women are taking everyone’s scholarships, are dominating every sport, are winning every title. I’m sorry, it’s just not happening,” she continued.
“So we need to start from inclusion, period. And as things arise, I have confidence that we can figure it out. But we can’t start at the opposite. That is cruel. And frankly, it’s just disgusting.”
Over the last year-and-a-half, 18 states have established laws banning trans athletes from school sports – with Louisiana becoming the most recent state to pass its version of the ban.
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