Transgender Athletes in College Sports: A Human Resources and Legal Perspective From 2020 Forward

Abstract

From the chaos of 2020 arose many social conversations, among which were the legal rights of gay and transgender Americans. Landmark cases established precedents for potential legislation and reform regarding the transgender community. One particular issue is that of transgender athletes in college sports. While many are in staunch opposition to a future where people who are born male may play on women’s sports teams in college, legal battles indicate the possibility that gender may cease to be a deciding factor in participation on national and collegiate sports teams. The appropriate management of transgender athletes related issues has consequently become an important issue in human resources for colleges and universities. While college athletes are not currently seen as employees, the people who work with them are. The purpose of this paper is to examine, from a human resource management and legal perspective, the issue of transgender athletes playing college sports in both the court of law and the court of public opinion.