Perspectives

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UPenn to ban trans athletes, feds say, ending civil rights case focused on swimmer Lia Thomas

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case that found the school violated the rights of female athletes.

The U.S. Education Department announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday. The case focused on Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.

It’s part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.

Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost out to Thomas, the Education Department said. Penn also agreed to send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Thomas would be stripped of her awards and honors at Penn.

The university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs” and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request. Determining which events had a transgender athlete participating years later would be challenging.

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Supreme Court to rule on state bans on transgender students’ participation in girls’ and women’s sports

The Supreme Court on Thursday waded into the legal fight over state laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s school and college sports, taking up cases from West Virginia and Idaho.

The court will hear cases involving two transgender students, Becky Pepper-Jackson and Lindsay Hecox, who challenged state bans in West Virginia and Idaho, respectively.

Both won injunctions that allow them to continue to compete in sports. Pepper-Jackson, now 15, takes puberty blocking medication, while Hecox, a 24-year-old college student, has received testosterone suppression and estrogen treatments.

The court’s decision to hear the case comes two weeks after the conservative majority delivered a major blow to transgender rights by upholding a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for young people. In doing so, the court left various legal questions about transgender rights unresolved.

“Categorically excluding kids from school sports just because they are transgender will only make our schools less safe and more hurtful places for all youth,” said Joshua Block, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is part of the legal team representing both students. “We believe the lower courts were right to block these discriminatory laws, and we will continue to defend the freedom of all kids to play.”

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention.

“The people of West Virginia know that it’s unfair to let male athletes compete against women; that’s why we passed this commonsense law preserving women’s sports for women,” he said.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, who is defending that state’s law, echoed those sentiments, saying that “women and girls deserve an equal playing field.”

Oral arguments will likely take place later this year, with a ruling expected by June 2026.

The states both enacted bans that categorically bar transgender students from participating in girls’ or women’s sports. More than half the 50 states now have such laws, but legal challenges have not been decisively resolved.

The fight for and against the expansion of transgender rights has become a flashpoint nationwide and was an issue in the recent presidential election, with Donald Trump denigrating Democrats for supporting the effort. His administration has begun to roll back measures taken by President Joe Biden to expand protections for transgender people.

In February, the National Collegiate Athletic Association also changed course,announcing a new policy to limit women’s sports to “student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”

In Pepper-Jackson’s case, a federal judge initially ruled in her favor but concluded in January 2023 that the law was most likely legal and allowed it to be enforced against her. Pepper-Jackson appealed, and the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked West Virginia officials from enforcing it against her.

The Supreme Court in April 2023 rejected the state’s attempt to enforce the law against Pepper-Jackson while the litigation continues, meaning she has been able to continue to participate in school sports, namely cross-country and track.

Hecox, who plays soccer and also runs, similarly obtained an injunction from a district court judge against Idaho officials. She also won on appeal at the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Pepper-Jackson and Hecox both failed to qualify for running teams at their respective schools, according to court papers. Pepper-Jackson did place third in the state for middle school discus and sixth in middle school shot put, losing out to cisgender girls. She finished 67th out of 68 in a cross-country event in eighth grade.

In barring transgender girls from participating in girls sports at the middle school, high school and college levels, the West Virginia law enacted in 2021 says gender is “based solely on the individual’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” As such, it says, a female is a person “whose biological sex determined at birth as female.”

The Idaho law, passed in 2020, states that sports “designated for females, women, or girls should not be open to students of the male sex.”

Both cases concern whether such laws violate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which requires that the law apply equally to everyone. Pepper-Jackson’s case also raises a claim under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

The Biden administration unveiled proposals on how Title IX applies to transgender athletes, saying that blanket bans would be unlawful but concluding that it may be lawful to limit involvement in competitive sports.

But the the Trump administration has reversed course, with the White House issuing an executive order titled: “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law barring sex discrimination in employment protected LGBTQ people, a ruling that angered conservatives. The court is yet to rule on whether the same reasoning applies to Title IX.

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California defies Trump, won’t ban trans athletes from school sports

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California officials say they will not comply with Donald Trump’s order to keep transgender athletes out of K-12 school sports.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon gave the state 10 days, beginning June 27, to sign on to an agreement “to rescind any trans-inclusionary guidelines and send cisgender female athletes who lost to a trans opponent personalized apologies,” The Sacramento Bee reports. The U.S. Department of Education’sOffice for Civil Rights had determined that California had violated federal nondiscrimination law by letting trans girls and women compete against cis females. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funds. Democratic administrations have interpreted it as preventing anti-trans discrimination, while Trump’s administration is using it to enable anti-trans discrimination.

But California will not go along. “The [California Department of Education] respectfully disagrees with OCR’s analysis, and it will not sign the proposed Resolution Agreement,” CDE General Counsel Len Garfinkle wrote Monday to OCR Regional Director Bradley Burke, according to the Bee.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff termed the proposed agreement a “political document” and said it had no legal validity. It would also make the state violate its own trans-inclusive nondiscrimination laws, Newsom’s aides said. California passed a law in 2013 allowing students to play on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The Trump administration has threatened loss of federal funds to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities with trans-inclusive sports policies, and some have agreed to ban trans athletes, such as, recently, the University of Pennsylvania.

Related: What does the science say about transgender women in sports?

Newsom, usually a strong LGBTQ+ ally, received criticism this year for questioning the fairness of letting trans girls compete with cis girls. Now, with his state standing up for trans girls, he’s catching fire from McMahon.

“California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women’s sports,” she wrote on X. “Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that ‘it’s an issue of fairness’ was empty political grandstanding.” She said he would hear from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

California is already suing the federal government over the demand to change the state’s trans-inclusive policy. Changing that would violate state antidiscrimination law and the U.S. Constitution, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

And just two weeks ago, a spokesman for Newsom downplayed McMahon’s threat of withholding federal funds. “It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ without the Trump administration threatening to defund California,” Newsom’s director of communications, Izzy Gardon, told The Advocate at the time. “Now Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days — dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won’t stick.”

California has made one concession. In May, the California Interscholastic Federation quietly changed the rules for competing in the girls’ state track championships, with a pilot program allowing cis girls who narrowly missed qualifying — allegedly due to the inclusion of a trans competitor — a chance to compete. But a trans girl targeted by Trump, Jurupa Valley High School junior AB Hernandez, was still allowed to participate as well. Hernandez won two gold medals and one silver at the state finals, and her fellow athletes offered no objections.

Maine has already stood up to Trump’s attacks on trans athletes. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said the state would not change its trans-inclusive policies and that she would see Trump in court. After a federal court intervened in the administration’s attempt to withhold school meal funding from Maine, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would restore the funds.

Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, praised California’s latest action. “This administration is targeting California in an attempt to intimidate it into backing away from its strong anti-discrimination laws,” he told the Bee. “I’m encouraged to see the California Department of Education is standing up to that.”

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Harvey Milk is an icon. Pete Hegseth is an idiot

Pete Hegseth likes to puff out his chest and wrap himself in the flag, replete with his eye-rolling star-spangled banner pocket square. His entire act is so phony, so immature, so beyond the realm of what gentlemen should be. 

He screams “warrior,” but in reality he is weak, and weak on innumerable levels.

Hegseth tosses around phrases like “warrior ethos” as if he has a trademark on courage, sacrifice, and honor. But make no mistake, Hegseth, Donald Trump’sclueless Defense secretary and longtime right-wing provocateur, is not a warrior by any measure of what a warrior should be.

He is a coward. He is cruel. He is inhumane. Those who scream from the top of their lungs what they think of themselves, are usually the complete opposite. That describes the straw man that is Hegseth.

And his decision to remove Harvey Milk’s name from a U.S. Navy ship, during Pride Month no less, proves it. This is a family-friendly media outlet, but you can only imagine the expletive I would like to use to describe the horrible Hegseth. Let’s just put it this way: How petty can you be to remove the name of someone from a ship because you don’t like the fact that he was gay?

Let’s talk about real courage. Harvey Milk was a Navy veteran, serving his country honorably for four years as a diving officer aboard the USS Kittiwakeduring the Korean War and after. He was discharged at a time when gay people were not even allowed to exist openly in the armed forces, let alone serve.

He was given an “other than honorable” discharge for being gay. He did not hide who he was, and that took real courage, particularly during that era. Milk would not cower.

Still, Milk returned to civilian life not bitter but determined to fight, not with weapons but with words, ideals, and public service. He had fortitude. 

Milk had a good life in New York but moved to San Francisco and decided to run for public office, not once or twice, but three times before finally winning a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk wasn’t a glutton for punishment. He was a picture of perseverance.

He did it openly as a gay man, at a time when to do so meant enduring a barrage of threats, slurs, and very real danger. He didn’t have a corporate PAC or a media empire behind him. He didn’t have bodyguards. He had guts. And he won.

And let me just say he had more guts than the soulless Hegseth would ever hope to have, but I digress.

Milk’s victory wasn’t just a personal triumph. It ignited a movement. His election inspired LGBTQ+ people across the country to come out, organize, and believe for the first time that they, too, could hold office, have a voice, and demand their rights. 

He wasn’t just a politician. He was a symbol of hope. And for that, he paid the ultimate price. He was gunned down in cold blood in his own City Hall office just 11 months into his term.

Harvey Milk is a hero, a real honest to goodness hero..His bravery has been chronicled in books, documentaries, and the Oscar-winning film Milk, where Sean Penn’s portrayal captured the real stakes Harvey faced every day. Milk stood up for what was right when doing so could get you killed. That’s what a warrior looks like.

Now let’s look at the pathetic person that is Pete Hegseth, who will never hope to have a flattering book, documentary or movie about him. At best, maybe he’ll have his name someday etched into a prison wall.

This is a man whose resume reads more like a string of scandals than a record of service. Yes, he served in the military, but he’s best known for his post-service career as a Fox News host specializing in culture war tantrums and grievance politics. 

Hegseth’s name has been tied to allegations of sexual harassment, infidelity, and alcohol-fueled misconduct. His recent tirade at the Pentagon, where he lashed out at reporters for their coverage of the military operation in Iran, was pure theater, a hysterical hissy fit.

This is not a man defending the troops. This is a man defending his ego. Can you imagine, for a moment, previous Defense secretaries, like Lloyd Austin, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, and Robert Gates doing something like that? Never! They were gentlemen with decorum. Hegseth is a rogue with indecorum.

And now, to score cheap points with the MAGA base, Hegseth has decided to erase the name USNS Harvey Milk. He says naming the ship after Milk was a “woke mistake.” But he’s lying. This is not about a name. It’s about Hegseth’s larger project to roll back LGBTQ+ inclusion in the military. And if you want my opinion, his goal to kick queers out for good!

He’s already moving to reimpose Trump-era bans on transgender service members. Make no mistake, removing Milk’s name is the opening salvo in a war against queer service members. Why does the madly, self-obsessed egomaniac hate queers so much?

Hegseth’s move is also a gut punch to every LGBTQ+ person who has ever served or who is serving this country with dignity, integrity, and pride. What are they supposed to think now? That their service is less valuable? That their sacrifices mean less? That their lives don’t count?

The truth is, Pete Hegseth could never hope to match the moral courage of Harvey Milk. Hegseth bullies from a podium. Milk stood his ground in the face of hate, knowing full well it might cost him his life. Hegseth panders to bigots, and the bigot in chief Donald Trump. Milk stood for the marginalized. Hegseth thinks valor is about bluster. Milk showed us it’s about conviction.

You can take a name off a ship, but you can’t erase a legacy. Harvey Milk’s name is etched into the history of this nation. Into the hearts of millions of LGBTQ+ Americans. Into the minds of those who still believe public service is about lifting others, not tearing them down.

Harvey Milk is an icon. Pete Hegseth is an idiot.

Milk once said, “Hope will never be silent.” The only thing we can hope for is that someday soon, Hegseth goes silent.

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Australian hockey stars wear rainbow socks to support gay teammate

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Members of Australia’s national field hockey team have sported rainbow socks to mark Pride month – and support a gay teammate. 

Davis Atkin was accidentally outed as gay to his coach at the University of Canberra by a team psychologist in 2021. The following year he told Outsports: “Last year, I was in a pretty dark place.” 

The midfielder has now played for the Kookaburras 20 times, including in the 4-3 win over England in an FIH Pro League game on Saturday. A photo of the team posted on Instagram revealed they were all wearing Pride rainbow socks. 

Atkin told Hockey Australia: “I said to the boys this morning that I really appreciate everyone being as inclusive as they are, and this was as simple as wearing socks. It paves the way for other people to follow that journey as a high-performance athlete.

“If I had grown up and seen my heroes run out in rainbow socks, that would have been immense, showing me that people at the top level are like me.”

Now 24, Atkin also posed with a Pride flag around his shoulders, and captioned the photo: “Being able to run out on to the pitch with Pride socks together as a team was something truly special. The inclusivity, the support and the joy in this group made it all feel surreal.

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and even something as simple as rainbow socks can be a powerful sign to someone out there that they are seen, valid and belong.” 

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Trans woman swims topless at meet to protest being forced to compete against cis men

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Anne Isabella Coombes, a 67-year-old transgender female swimmer, swam topless with her breasts exposed at the Cornwall County Masters swim meet as a protest to being forced to compete with cisgender men by Swim England, the UK’s governing body overseeing the country’s competitive swimming.

Swim England told Coombes she was no longer eligible to compete in the women’s category, despite her doing so in 2022 and 2023. So the organization placed her in a new “open” category where trans female and nonbinary competitors swim against cis men. Swim England replaced its men’s category with its open category starting in September 2023, to “negate… post-puberty transgender females[‘]… biological level of performance advantage post-transition,” the organization wrote.

“It is widely recognised that fairness of competition must be protected and Swim England believes the creation of open and female categories is the best way to achieve this,” the organization said upon announcing the new policy. “The updated policy ensures there are entry-level competitive opportunities for transgender people to participate in the majority of our disciplines within their gender identity.”

When Coombes asked what she’d be required to wear during swim meets in the “open” category, Swim England informed her that she would “need to wear a female swimming costume despite having to compete with the men, which ‘outs’ me as a woman who is transgender,” she told The Reading Chronicle.

“I explained to the person on the phone that they are not allowed to do that, and he didn’t have an answer,” she added, saying that the swimsuit requirement compelled her to stop competitively swimming until 2025. She only resumed in order to protest Swim England’s policies, which say that competitors’ swimwear must be in “good moral taste.”

She said the organization told her that she can swim in a men’s swimsuit without having to ask in advance for a referee’s permission, but that the referee can disqualify her if they choose.

“Deciding on whether exposing my breasts is in ‘good moral taste’ or whether I need to cover them up so that ‘those involved in competitive swimming are appropriately safeguarded’ is an entirely subjective decision of the referee,” she told the aforementioned company.

“In other words, I could turn up to the competition and run the risk of not being able to compete in whichever costume I intend to wear,” she continued. “No other swimmer has this concern. These regulations also mean that Swim England is treating me as a male by default.”

The Reading Chronicle didn’t say whether the referee disqualified her for her protest.

“I’m trying to show the world that this policy isn’t thought through, and it’s meant to hit trans people and nobody else,” she said. “I want to make it clear through this protest that trans people are not a threat when it comes to sport. We aren’t winning everything, and if we started to, then I would be first in line to discuss other options. Right now, it is a non-issue.”

Numerous competitive sports’ governing bodies have recently changed their policies to ban trans women from competing against cis women in the name of fairness — despite previously having policies that allowed trans athletes using hormone therapy to compete with members of their own gender identity.

Critics of these policies say that they mostly harm female athletes who could be subjected to invasive medical investigations in order to prove their gender. Critics also say that these policy changes add to social stigma that vilifies trans female athletes as a threat to women’s rights and do nothing to address the sexism, abuse, and lack of funding that actually harm cis female athletes.

Coombes said she has been protesting against the recent UK high court rulingthat the legal definition of a woman under the country’s 2010 Equality Act is based on “biological sex.” Though the court has said that trans women still have anti-discrimination protections under the law, the UK Human Rights Commission said in a confusing “guidance” that trans women can be excluded from “women-only” spaces in hospitals, shops, and restaurants, and trans men can be excluded from “men-only” spaces.

Coombes has spoken at protests against the ruling and told the aforementioned publication, “Most trans people just want to get on with their lives and be treated as the gender they are. But unfortunately, given what the Supreme Court has done, we need to stand up and say ‘I’m trans, I exist, and you’re not going to silence me.’ Existence is resistance.”

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World Cup: A Year Out, Growing Attacks on Rights

 The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) should take immediate and demonstrable steps to safeguard human rights for all people involved in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today. With just one year until the monumental event kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and only days until the Club World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2025, escalating attacks on human rights and civil freedoms threaten to undermine FIFA’s human rights commitments and responsibilities.

“In 2018, the US, Mexico, and Canada provided clear human rights commitments in their bid documents to host the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup,” said Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance. “Despite FIFA’s mantra that ‘football unites the world,’ a World Cup held under discriminatory and exclusionary policies risks deepening social divides rather than bridging them. FIFA should exert its leverage and demand concrete, legally binding guarantees that human rights won’t be further sacrificed for the sake of the game.”

In its statutes, Human Rights Policy, and 2026 Bidding Process Guide, FIFA accepts its responsibility to respect human rights in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Bidding Process Guide specifically requires would-be hosts to document their commitment to “ensur[ing] that the hosting and staging of the Competition do[es] not involve adverse impacts on internationally recognized human rights.” The guide gives particular attention to “labor rights, the rights of children, gender equality, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and protecting all individuals from all forms of discrimination.”

The Sport & Rights Alliance has identified several critical areas where government policies in the 2026 host countries, particularly the United States under President Donald Trump, pose significant and immediate risks to the human rights of immigrants; freedom of the press and free expression; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights; safety for children; and the right to be free from discrimination, requiring urgent and transparent intervention.

Discriminatory Immigration Policies

FIFA anticipates that as many as 6.5 million people could attend the 2026 tournament across the host countries. The current US administration’s abusive immigration policies, including enforced disappearances under the Alien Enemies Act, travel bans, increased detention, and visa restrictions, threaten the inclusivity and global nature of the World Cup.

Despite President Trump’s executive order stating that teams qualifying for the 2026 Men’s World Cup will be exempt from travel bans, as of now fans and extended family members from banned countries will not be allowed to enter the United States. Delays, denials, and the real prospect of detention for fans, media, and other participants from specific countries could severely disrupt the tournament.

“FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament’s integrity and use its leverage with the US government to ensure that the rights of all qualified teams, support staff, media, and fans are respected as they seek to enter the United States regardless of nationality, gender identity, religion, or opinion,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “FIFA should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the US policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants’ rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond.”

Human Rights Watch wrote to FIFA on May 5 to say that it should use its leverage to push the Trump administration to roll back discriminatory immigration policies in the United States. FIFA respondedon June 3, stating that it “expects … host countries take measures to ensure that any eligible persons who are involved in the Competition are able to enter the respective countries,” and “is actively working on this matter with relevant authorities.” FIFA also said it would engage with relevant authorities if it becomes aware of human rights concerns.

“Fans travel to the World Cup to celebrate and express their passion, and any attempt to curtail our fundamental rights, including the right to free speech, is a betrayal of the spirit of football,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe. “We’re particularly concerned about the potential for selective enforcement and discrimination against fans based on our perceived political views or national origin. FIFA must obtain the necessary guarantees to ensure fans from all over the world are able to safely travel and attend the games.”

Right to Protest; Freedom of Expression

With the 2026 Men’s World Cup potentially serving as a spotlight for public criticism and controversy, the escalating crackdowns on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, particularly for people engaged in speech and protest related to Palestinian rights, is deeply troubling, the alliance said. Students and activists have been detained and their visas revoked for speaking out about their views. The Trump administration has also deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles following protests against immigration arrests, claiming they constitute an act of “rebellion” against the government.

FIFA’s stated commitments to free expression have also previously been contradicted when it has imposed rules prohibiting players and fans from making political or religious statements. At the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar, for example, Iranian fans displaying “Woman, Life, Freedom” banners were removed from stadiums, while rainbow flags were confiscated at a number of matches.

“The ability to peacefully protest without fear of retribution is a cornerstone of a free society, yet is increasingly under threat in the United States,” said Daniel Noroña, Americas advocacy director at Amnesty International USA. “There is a long history of peaceful protest in global football. FIFA and the US authorities must ensure that the World Cup does not become a pretext for stifling dissent or expanding mass surveillance, and every player, fan, journalist, and resident can participate and protest without fear of sanction, arbitrary detention or discriminatory treatment.”

Discrimination, Violence against LGBTI People

The increasing legislative and rhetorical attacks on the rights of LGBTI people, particularly transgender people in the United States, underscore the current administration’s intention to erase transgender people from public life and dismantle crucial human rights protections. Discriminatory laws and the hostile political climate around LGBTI rights in the United States could directly threaten the security, bodily autonomy, dignity, and inclusion of LGBTI fans, players, and workers at the 2026 Men’s World Cup.

In Mexico, LGBTI people, and especially trans and gender-diverse people, face violence across the country, which affects their daily lives and participation in public events. Federal and state authorities should take urgent steps to prevent and punish violence against LGBTI people, with particular attention to the specific risks faced by trans and gender-diverse communities.

“The alarming discrimination and violence against LGBTI individuals in the United States and Mexico cast a chilling shadow over the promise of an inclusive World Cup,” said Gurchaten Sandhu, director of programs at ILGA World. “As organizer of the event, FIFA should demand that all host cities and states uphold universal human rights, ensuring no fan, worker, or athlete faces discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, or sex characteristics, and that any discriminatory laws are actively challenged and nullified.”

Press Freedom

Journalists covering the 2026 Men’s World Cup face distinct and alarming risks in both Mexico and the United States. Mexico consistently ranks among one of world’s most dangerous and deadly countries for media professionals, who face threats, harassment, and violence from both organized crime and public officials. The pervasive impunity for these crimes creates a chilling effect and zones of silence in which critical information is suppressed. In the United States, journalists could face intrusive screening, social media monitoring, and be denied entry based on perceived political views, undermining their ability to report independently.

“Journalists covering the World Cup must be granted unimpeded access, free from arbitrary restrictions, detention, or violence,” said Antoine Bernard, advocacy and assistance director at Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “FIFA and the local authorities must implement exceptional measures to protect all media workers – not only ensuring smooth entry for foreign press but actively safeguarding all journalists who will be covering large crowds, excited spectators, and potential protests, and addressing the systemic impunity that allows violence against them to persist. Local law enforcement’s policies need to be strengthened to ensure the distinction of journalists from demonstrators, bystanders, and fans, and they must clearly communicate the policies they intend to follow in ensuring this distinction, in full respect of journalists’ freedom and independence.”

Labor Rights

The immense scale of the 2026 Men’s World Cup will necessitate a massive workforce in host cities to staff stadiums, hospitality, transport, and more. The Trump administration’s dismantling of federal programs and anti-union sentiment increase the risk of exploitation and child labor, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions for these critical workers.

“The extensive network of contracts for stadium construction, hospitality, and event services in the host cities must be built on a foundation of respect for workers’ rights,” said Luc Triangle, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). “We are gravely concerned that without strong, enforceable labor protections, this tournament will inadvertently fuel precarious work and child labor, suppress wages, and deny workers their fundamental rights to organize and bargain collectively. FIFA must demand robust social dialogue and binding agreements to protect every worker contributing to this World Cup.”

Transparency and Anti-Corruption

The Sport & Rights Alliance also harbors significant concerns related to low governmental transparency and weak anti-corruption regulations in and around the 2026 Men’s World Cup, particularly given recent policy shifts in the United States and Mexico. As the tournament approaches, robust oversight and unwavering commitment to ethical principles are needed to prevent the exploitation of this global event for private gain at the expense of human rights and public trust.

“The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in a global context where anti-corruption efforts are increasingly under strain,” said Tor Dølvik, special adviser at Transparency International. “All host countries and FIFA must uphold their anti-corruption responsibilities by establishing comprehensive risk management mechanisms that close potential loopholes for corruption, and reliable systems for detecting and reporting irregularities. Full transparency regarding all expenditures related to the World Cup—before, during, and after the events—will be vital in building trust and ensuring integrity throughout the process.”

FIFA’s Responsibility

FIFA, as the chief actor responsible for an event that will leave a tremendous footprint, needs to conduct an updated human rights due diligence assessment and unequivocally leverage its influence to ensure that the 2026 Men’s World Cup is a rights-respecting and rights-advancing event.

A new human rights due diligence assessment should consider the need for tangible commitments to reverse discriminatory policies, strengthen protections for historically marginalized groups, ensure substantial accountability for human rights abuses, and establish truly effective, transparent, and independent grievance mechanisms for people to seek support and a remedy. Failure to act decisively risks irrevocably tarnishing the legacy of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and setting a dangerous precedent for future mega-sporting events.

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The Sport & Rights Alliance’s mission is to promote the rights and well-being of those most affected by human rights risks associated with the delivery of sport. Its partners include Amnesty International, The Army of Survivors, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, ILGA World (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), the International Trade Union Confederation, Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International, and World Players Association, UNI Global Union. As a global coalition of leading nongovernmental organizations and trade unions, the Sport & Rights Alliance works together to ensure sports bodies, governments, and other relevant stakeholders give rise to a world of sport that protects, respects, and fulfills international standards for human rights, labor rights, child wellbeing and safeguarding, and anti-corruption.

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LGBTQ-Affirming Kids Books to Rewrite Messages from the Playground

The fight to offer diverse children’s books in public schools will go national this month when the Supreme Court issues a ruling on Mahmoud v. Taylor. The case surrounds three couples who objected to a small number of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books offered as nonmandatory supplemental learning materials in Montgomery County Public Schools, in Maryland. Because the district did not offer an opt out clause to prevent access to their children, they claimed infringement on their religious rights.

“What’s at stake in Mahmoud v. Taylor isn’t just access to books—it’s whether LGBTQ kids get to see themselves reflected in the world around them,” author and therapist Chris Tompkins tells GLAAD. “Book bans are often framed as debates about age-appropriateness or parental rights, but underneath is fear. These stories challenge long-held beliefs and push against societal norms many of us were raised with. The fear isn’t really about the books themselves, though. It’s about what they represent: visibility, change, and the undoing of old narratives. But discomfort isn’t a reason to avoid these stories; it’s an invitation to grow. We can’t challenge bias or build empathy without first being willing to look at what makes us uncomfortable.”

Through his book Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), Tompkins invites parents, relatives, educators, and allies to critically examine, understand, and address their own beliefs to enable them to shape the “messages from the playground” kids receive to be affirming and welcoming.

Chris Tompkins, therapist and author
Chris Tompkins, therapist and author of “Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground”.

Messages from the playground, Tompkins explains, describes “the subconscious beliefs we all pick up from our childhood about what it means to be a boy or a girl, gay or straight, or Black, white, and so on. Messages are the dominant societal worldview and the playground is our mind or, rather, our consciousness.” This analogy “unites those of us trying to make the world a safer place for all children,” and can be used to connect people, rather than separate.

Raising LGBTQ Allies helps allies explore these subconscious beliefs and potential biases about LGBTQ people. Tompkins wants readers to know bias often stems from fear, and that open and honest conversations with kids about gender and sexuality can prevent shame that can drive internalized homophobia (fear and shame directed inward) and fear directed toward others. Tompkins discusses how to rewrite the narrative where being LGBTQ is normalized and humanized rather than a difference to separate and exclude. It starts with adults addressing their own experiences and rewriting those narratives too.

“We cannot fully address homophobia, transphobia, bullying, shame, and their effects without exploring trauma,” Tompkins notes, which does not have to be catastrophic or exceptionally violent.

“Trauma is also experienced as a daily microaggression, such as homophobia, transphobia, bullying, and time spent in the closet. Any child who has experienced the closet has known shame—and shame itself is trauma.”

It’s never too early to begin holding authentic discussions with children to help them learn that “there are many ways of being human.” To that end, Tompkins shared a list (which includes recommendations from Healthy Gender Development and Young Children: A Guide for Early Childhood Programs and Professionals) of LGBTQ-affirming books that will “unwrap a more inclusive world” for developing young minds:

Books for ages two and up

  1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell—the heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a family that reflects the new world in which we live (2-5 years old).
  2. Of Course They Do! Boys and Girls Can Do Anything, by Marie-Sabine Roger and Anne Sol—a book that debunks commonly held gender myths in a cheerful, no-nonsense fashion (2-5 years old).

Books for ages three and up

  1. The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf—all the other bulls run, jump, and butt their heads together in fights. Ferdinand, on the other hand, would rather sit and smell the flowers (3-5 years old).
  2. Who Has What? All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies, by Robie H. Harris—this is a helpful book for parents or families when their children start to ask questions about their bodies (3-7 years old).

Books for ages four and up

  1. I Am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings—the story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for trans kids everywhere (4-8 years old).
  2. Jacob’s New Dress, by Sarah and Ian Hoffman—this heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by boys who don’t identify with traditional gender roles (4-8 years old).
  3. Not Every Princess, by Jeffrey and Lisa Bone—a book that helps readers gently question the rigid construction of gender roles, while challenging societal expectations in an inspirational way (4-8 years old).
  4. Red: A Crayon’s Story, by Michael Hall—a story about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles that may come your way (4-8 years old).
  5. Love Makes a Family, by Sophie Beer—this fun, inclusive board book celebrates the one thing that makes every family a family . . . and that’s LOVE (preschool and up).

Tompkins also recommends visibly displaying LGBTQ books and materials. “This sends a powerful message to children who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Even seeing a book or sticker sends a subtle message that this space is safe.”

“Books help children make sense of the world in honest and accessible ways. Having them in public schools isn’t political; it’s about inclusion and fostering empathy for identity difference,” adds Tompkins. “Children will learn anything we teach them. They can learn acceptance just as easily as intolerance. And they absorb everything around them, including the conversations we don’t have about the communities we don’t include. Having LGBTQ-related books matters—not just for the kids who see themselves in the pages, but for every child growing up in an increasingly diverse world.”

For more information about Raising LGBTQ Allies, visit Chris Tompkins’ website, A Road Trip to Love.

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The New York Mets went all out for Pride Night 2025, and homophobes are – predictably – furious

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New York Mets fans have praised the iconic baseball team’s celebration of Pride Month, flying the Progress Pride flag during the national anthem and spotlighting a gay kiss on the jumbotron.

On Friday (13 June), the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays became a showcase of LGBTQ+ acceptance and joy, marking the Mets’ ninth annual Pride Night celebration.

As per the Mets website, Pride Night is “one night each year when Citi Field swaps blue and orange for the entire rainbow!”

Despite losing the game (9-0), the Mets pleased many fans with their full volume support of LGBTQ+ rights.

A couple of teams also have Pride Month traditions, for instance, the Los Angeles Dodgers players wore baseball caps with the Pride flag coloursincorporated, and the Boston Red Sox held a pre-game drag show.

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Ahead of the Mets game, Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Season 6 ofRuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Jan Sport held a pre-game warm-up Pride Party.

The festivities featured DJs, in-game entertainment, Mets Pride merchandise and themed cocktails. Furthermore, the first 15,000 fans received an exclusive Mets Pride tank top.

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Ahead of the game a number of players were also seen wearing tank tops with “New York is love” on their chests in rainbow font.

For ticketing, the Mets partnered with NYC Pride on a special ticket offer. NYC Pride tickets included a limited-edition Pride Night fanny pack with a portion of the proceeds from each ticket donated directly to NYC Pride initiatives.

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The MLB game began, as usual, with the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” playing loudly in the baseball stadium, but instead of the US flag, the Progress Pride flag was displayed in its place. 

“I’m converting to Mets fandom”

One fan reacted to the flag’s appearance by saying they’re planning to switch allegiance: “You guys I’m converting to Mets fandom bc they showed the pride flag instead of the american flag during the anthem.”

The introduction of players on the big screen included a rainbow background: a special Pride Month feature.

Later, as the jumbotron surveyed the crowd, the camera stopped for a gay kiss as Chappell Roan’s ‘”Pink Pony Club” played – it couldn’t have been a more iconic moment.

Pete Alonso, a prominent player and the Mets’ first baseman, also changed his walk up song to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, especially for Pride Night.

Unsurprisingly, there was also quite a bit of homophobic backlash to the Pride Night baseball game (what did the homophobes expect from Pride Night?!). Some angry right-wing fans even went so far as to blame the “woke sickness” of Pride for causing the team’s defeat. 

However, despite this negativity, many fans shared that they had a wonderful evening, which was topped off with Wicked-themed fireworks, and also rainbow fireworks.

One fan shared: “even though the mets lost i had the absolute best time at pride night. i was too drunk to post anything last night so enjoy!”

“Amazin’ [Mets]Pride Night at Citi Field!” Another fan posted. “Rainbows, joy, and good baseball filled the night.”

“It all started 10 years ago with a call, a vision, and a partnership between [The LGBT Network], [the MLB] and the late Billy Bean.

“Here’s to more years of [Mets] Pride!”

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In 2025, Why are Men Still Afraid to Come Out in Professional Sports?

When Jason Collins came out in a 2013 Sports Illustrated cover story, he broke down the long-sealed closet in men’s sports by becoming the first openly gay active player in any major league sport. President Barack Obama called him to offer his support, saying he “couldn’t be prouder,” and Oprah Winfrey called him “a pioneer.”

“By not having to hide who I am, just being able to live an authentic life, there’s something powerful about being the one to out yourself and step forward and speak your truth,” Collins told Uncloseted Media. “There’s no greater feeling.”

Many thought that Collins’ announcement would lead to a slew of men coming out in professional sports; commentators called it a “tipping point” and the moment “when things really changed.” But 12 years later, the silence is deafening. Today, there are zero active openly gay or bisexual players in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, PGA and ATP.

What makes these numbers particularly shocking is that more than 1 in 5 Gen Z adults in the United States identify as LGBTQ. “It is a legit claim that the last closet for men is sports, especially in the North American context,” says Charlene Weaving, a professor of gender studies at St. Francis Xavier University. “If you look at sport[s], it’s as if what’s happening in society is amplified. Sports is the worst place for sexism and homophobia. … There’s so much pressure to adhere to a heterosexual persona.”

So what’s keeping the closet door shut?

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Coaching Can Help or Hurt

One key element in men’s sports that can help or hinder someone from coming out is the mentors who surround them.

“The coaches create the culture, right? What you say, what you allow [in] your locker room, that’s all on us,” says Anthony Nicodemo, a gay high school basketball coach in Westchester, New York.

He says he intentionally uses LGBTQ-inclusive language with his team to signal that there’s nothing wrong with being gay. “If we had a game on Saturday morning and it’s Friday night, I’d say, ‘Hey go home with your boyfriend or girlfriend tonight, stay in.’ My kids would laugh, of course, but then after I said it a couple times, they didn’t even blink,” he says. “If there was a gay kid on my team, that gay kid knows that he’s welcome.”

A 2016 study by the Journal of Sport and Health Science found that gay and bisexual male teen athletes feel particularly unwelcome when playing in formal sporting environments where there are coaches. The study also found that they were more likely to play on an informal team without a coach, which would lessen their chances of becoming a professional athlete.

“The hope is that you’re going to create inclusive environments that are ultimately going to allow those kids to get to the point in society where we feel comfortable with them coming out and eventually playing at the professional level,” says Nicodemo, who worked with Collins at the Pride Center’s LGBTQ inclusion basketball clinic in San Antonio this March.

Nicodemo says we need more role models like Brian Burke, the former president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After Burke’s gay son passed away in a car accident in 2010, he made it his mission to explicitly advocate for gay men competing in pro hockey. “If you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you are welcome with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” he said at a 2021 Pittsburgh Pride Revolution March. “You’re welcome to come to our games, you’re welcome to play for our team, you’re welcome to work on our staff. You are welcome.”

Research suggests all players want to participate in more inclusive environments. A 2021 study evaluated college coaches who identified as LGBTQ, as allies, or as anti-LGBTQ. In every context, students preferred coaches who embraced nondiscrimination, choosing the ally and the LGBTQ coach over the anti-LGBTQ coach.

Despite this, Nicodemo says he may be an anomaly when it comes to LGBTQ-inclusive coaches. In fact, a 2015 study concluded that the United States was the most homophobic country in the world when it comes to sports and 80% of the study’s participants reported witnessing or experiencing homophobia in U.S. sports.

Just this week, the Wake Forest men’s baseball coach Tom Walter issued an apology after cameras caught him using an apparent homophobic slur during an NCAA game.

“There’s a lot of homophobia in our society. There is a lot of homophobia still in sports, in particular, male sports,” says Collins. “We still have a lot of work to do as far as creating those environments that those athletes do feel comfortable to step forward [in] and share who they are. It’s about education and letting them know it’s okay to say, ‘I am gay,’ ‘I am bisexual.’ You know, you name it, but it’s okay. It’s okay to speak your truth.”

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Beyond the coaches are the leagues. While some of them have taken steps to create inclusive environments, others have gone in a different direction by rolling back their LGBTQ-inclusive policies amid attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). In March, the MLB removed references to their “Diversity Pipeline Program,” which outlined their diversity-focused hiring initiatives, from their website.

This may have been in response to external pressure. In October 2023, the conservative public interest organization America First Legal, which was founded by Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, filed a formal complaint against the MLB, blasting the league’s diversity pipeline and related initiatives as blatant examples of racial and sexist discrimination against white men.

And in 2023, the NHL banned all LGBTQ symbols from uniforms after a handful of players refused to participate in Pride Nights.

While the ban was lifted after pushback from sponsors, players and fans, Nicodemo believes it sent the wrong message to young male players. “I believe wholeheartedly that Pride nights save lives. I think [about] a gay kid that is watching hockey at home and seeing the rainbow flag and how important that is,” he says. “Gay kids need to see people representing pride. When I was coaching before COVID, when we used to actually wear suits when we coached, I wore a rainbow lapel in every game just to show it was okay.”

Some men’s leagues have done more to promote inclusivity. NBA Cares, the social justice arm of the league’s charitable programming, has prioritized including gay youth and men in their initiatives. Nicodemo has worked with NBA Cares, and Collins has contributed as an ambassador.

“This is very important for coaches, for those people in leadership positions, to think about as far as, ‘How do I get the best possible version of my athlete?’ … One way you do that is by creating a team environment where everyone feels safe,” says Collins.

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Homophobia and Misogyny in the Men’s Locker Room

Unlike men’s leagues, women’s leagues are more accepting of LGBTQ players. Billie Jean King, Brittney Griner and Abby Wambach are some of the many women who have thrived while competing as openly gay athletes.

“In the WNBA, [it’s] not an issue,” says Nicodemo, referencing that 29% of active WNBA players are openly lesbian.

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Homophobia is more common among men. And in the locker room, it isn’t always easy to spot, as it often masks itself in homoeroticism.

“Two male athletes will kiss each other on the lips. And that’s considered to be love and appreciation that you scored that big goal. ‘I’m gonna kiss you and it’s not at all viewed to be perceived to be gay and the grabbing of the bums or the testicle area.’ This idea of showering together, slapping towels, that’s all considered to be like part of men’s sport,” says Weaving. “So it’s this idea where players can be as ‘gay’ as they want and in the context of the field or the locker room, they’re not perceived to be gay. But if they were to act that way outside of that sporting context, then they’re considered to be.”

Collins says this gender divide may be because of sexism and toxic masculinity. This kind of performative homoeroticism is only socially acceptable because it’s understood to be ironic—a joke that relies on not actually being gay. When the behavior slips beyond the bounds of “just joking,” it exposes an undercurrent of homophobia masked as camaraderie.

The Financial Cost of Coming Out: Something to Gain or Lose?

Beyond all these pressures lies a monetary component for athletes who are considering opening the closet door while still in uniform. Cyd Zeigler, the cofounder of Outsports, wrote in a 2024 article that he knows “for a fact that agents have told gay athletes to stay in the closet” and that his “best answer has pointed to the agents and managers whose livelihoods depend on athletes maximizing their earning potential in just a few years.”

Weaving agrees. “The general managers and the owners have more traditionally homophobic, sexist thinking. They believe [LGBTQ players] will harm viewership,” she says. “It’s still taboo where athletes fear repercussions, predominantly, around sponsorships.”

The fear of losing out on money may be misguided. The first day Jason Collins’ number 98 jersey became available on the NBA website, one year after he came out, it was the top seller of all active NBA players. Carl Nassib’s jersey became a top seller on the NFL’s official online marketplace when he came out in 2021. And Michael Sam, the first gay NFL player, had the second-highest selling jersey in his 2014 rookie class of more than 250 draftees.

The Trump Effect on the Last Closet

Perhaps the biggest factor keeping men in the closet is America’s current political climate, where the Trump administration and corporate America have abandoned DEI and so-called “woke” initiatives.

The Trump administration has also erased many references to LGBTQ people from government websites, and at least nine states have introduced measures to overturn marriage equality.

“The Trump administration asks districts to sign attestations to say that they’re not going to do DEI work in schools. That could be a pride flag hanging in the classroom,” says Nicodemo. “If you’re not creating an inclusive environment for these kids, then these kids are never going to feel comfortable coming out.”

What Can Be Done?

As all these factors create a challenging environment for men to feel safe coming out in sports.

Collins says what could move the needle the most is an increase in role models who will make young athletes feel like they’re competing in a safe environment. “It definitely got to very dark, lonely places because I felt like I was going through this alone,” he says. “When I was younger, I was constantly looking for those role models, of people who have sort of been down this path,” he says.

Weaving agrees and says that a lack of LGBTQ-inclusive coaches can be more than just a deterrent for student-athletes seeking to grow their career.

“For many children, it doesn’t only make things uncomfortable, it can push them out of sports altogether,” she says. “Coaches play a big role. Youth sport is the starting point. If you can create positive environments, inclusive cultures at that level, it continues and helps to shift the pro culture.”

Collins remains hopeful that there will be more visibility of gay men in professional sports but underscores the need for role models to step up.

“If you’re a coach or if you’re an athletic director or even a headmaster out of school, you have to seek out help. You have to bring other organizations who have expertise. And it can be as simple as a 30- to 60-minute conversation, but at least you’re laying the groundwork down for educating those players, educating those athletes,” says Collins, a two-time NBA championship finalist who married his partner last month.

Additional reporting by Sam Donndelinger.

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