NCAA Facilitator Resigns in Protest Over NCAA’s Failures to Protect Trans Athletes

Today, Dorian Rhea Debussy, Ph.D. (they/them), one of 54 facilitators in the NCAA Division III LGBTQ OneTeam program, resigned in protest of recent actions the NCAA has taken, including a new policy around transgender participation and the lack of nondiscrimination policy language in the NCAA’s newly ratified constitution despite widespread urging and advocacy by national organizations. The Human Rights Campaign responded to the NCAA’s ratified constitution and policy for transgender participation on Friday. Last year, Rhea led 38 OneTeam members in publishing a letter urging the NCAA to take further action to prevent anti-transgender legislation being introduced and passed in the 2021 state legislative session. Their announcement was posted on Athlete Ally’s blog.

Key Points:
• “[A]s one of the few transgender and/or non-binary facilitators and as the only trans-feminine facilitator—cannot remain quiet about recent developments at the NCAA.”
• “[T]heir steadfast opposition to anti-LGBTQ+—and especially anti-trans—legislation appears to have waned in recent years. For example, the NCAA, just last year, awarded championship tournaments to multiple states that had actually passed legislation, which limits the participation of gender diverse student-athletes.”
• “Most alarmingly, the NCAA released a draft of their revised constitution in November 2021. As noted by a number of advocacy organizations, this draft removed previously existing non-discrimination language.”
• “I’m deeply troubled by what appears to be a devolving level of active, effective, committed, and equitable support for gender diverse student-athletes within the NCAA’s leadership. As a non-binary, trans-feminine person, I can no longer, in good conscience, maintain my affiliation with the NCAA.”

An Open Resignation Letter in Protest of the NCAA’s Updated Transgender Participation Policy

Since the creation of the program in spring 2019, I have served as a facilitator of the National Collegiate Athletics Association’s (NCAA’s) Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program, which is a national training program that fosters LGBTQ+ inclusion in NCAA Division III athletics. As a member of the inaugural training cohort and one of only 54 certified facilitators across the country, I have taken this role very seriously, particularly given the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion in both athletic and educational settings. Complementing my experiences within the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Kenyon College, my time as a facilitator has been both rewarding and impactful. However, I—as one of the few transgender and/or non-binary facilitators and as the only trans-feminine facilitator—cannot remain quiet about recent developments at the NCAA.

Throughout my nearly three years as a facilitator for the NCAA’s Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program, I have offered training sessions and individualized guidance to hundreds of coaches, athletics administrators, DEI professionals, fellow facilitators, and student-athletes across multiple colleges and states. During these past three years, there has also been a historic rise in anti-trans legislation, and this is particularly true of legislation aimed at restricting the participation of transgender, non-binary, and intersex student-athletes.

Over the past decade, the NCAA has taken an increasingly stronger stance in support of gender diverse student-athletes. In a 2008 statement, the NCAA noted that gender diverse student-athletes were allowed to participate in affiliated athletic programs; however, they, at the time, deferred to state gender classifications and institutionally specific rules. Within two years, the NCAA adopted its (now former) transgender participation policy, and this policy—which certainly had room for growth in regards to more inclusive and equitable participation for trans-feminine and non-binary student athletes—governed collegiate sports for more than a decade.

In the not-so-recent past, the NCAA has also taken a number of public stances in support of LGBTQ+ rights. For instance, the President of the NCAA publicly condemned Indiana’s 2015 “religious freedom” legislation, which allowed for people to deny services to LGBTQ+ individuals under the guise of religious beliefs. In 2016, North Carolina passed HB2, which required gender diverse people to use the bathroom facilities that corresponded to their sex assigned at birth, and the NCAA’s response was both swift and clear. Publicly affirming their support for gender diverse student-athletes, coaches, and fans, they pulled seven different championships from the state. However, their steadfast opposition to anti-LGBTQ+—and especially anti-trans—legislation appears to have waned in recent years. For example, the NCAA, just last year, awarded championship tournaments to multiple states that had actually passed legislation, which limits the participation of gender diverse student-athletes.

As a facilitator of the NCAA’s Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program, I have often engaged public efforts to show support for gender diverse student-athletes and to educate a wider audience about gender equity in athletics. During the wave of anti-trans legislation in spring 2021, I—along with two fellow co-facilitators, Seth Hayes of Denison University and Dr. Kyrstin Krist of Methodist University—collaboratively drafted an open letter of support for gender diverse student-athletes, which was then signed by nearly 40 other facilitators of the program. Similarly, I have also publicly spoken about this topic in a variety of venues, including an open conversation that was hosted by Athlete Ally and a recent panel discussion at the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission’s Power of Sport Summit.

Now, I must, once again, speak publicly in support of our gender-diverse student athletes. Earlier this week, the NCAA announced a major change to their transgender participation policy. While the NCAA’s press release notes some similarities to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) updated policy for the participation of transgender, non-binary, and intersex athletes, there are a number of key differences. Most notably, the NCAA notes that their updated policy still mandates rigid testing schedules for endocrine levels, while the IOC’s updated policy strongly emphasizes the importance of bodily autonomy and scientific evidence in ensuring fairness. Additionally, the NCAA also notes that their updated policy—instead of setting a clear expectation for inclusive and equitable participation—defers to relevant policies of the governing bodies for each individual sport, while also not setting a clear and direct expectation for a trans-inclusive environment. In contrast, the IOC’s updated policy clearly affirms the rights of athletes to participate safely and without prejudice, while also mandating that relevant policies for each sport must fall in line with the IOC’s framework and expectations for an evidence-based, non-discriminatory, and stakeholder-centered approach.

While advocacy organizations and transgender athletes have already begun to critique the NCAA’s updated transgender participation policy, there are also a number of other emerging issues, which coincide with this. Most alarmingly, the NCAA released a draft of their revised constitution in November 2021. As noted by a number of advocacy organizations, this draft removed previously existing non-discrimination language. Earlier this week, a similar coalition continued to advocate for the inclusion of non-discrimination language in the NCAA’s constitution, which is expected to be approved at the January 2022 convention. In the midst of a continued national wave of anti-trans legislation that is often aimed at gender diverse youth and young adults, I find the NCAA’s public response to this important issue as inadequate and troubling at best.

With that being said, I’m deeply troubled by what appears to be a devolving level of active, effective, committed, and equitable support for gender diverse student-athletes within the NCAA’s leadership. As a non-binary, trans-feminine person, I can no longer, in good conscience, maintain my affiliation with the NCAA. Effectively immediately, I publicly resign from my role as a facilitator for the NCAA’s Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program. While I will no longer facilitate this program, I look forward to continuing to offer support, resources, and training to coaches, athletic administrators, sports teams, and institutions of higher education, who are invested in ensuring a safer, more inclusive, and more equitable environment for gender diverse student-athletes.

And of course, I hope that the NCAA will quickly, actively, competently, and then consistently engage gender diverse student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans, so that they can better understand the impact and consequences of their most recent actions on the lives of our transgender, non-binary, and intersex youth and young adults.

Sincerely,



Dorian Rhea Debussy, Ph.D.

pronouns: they/them

Associate Director for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies

Kenyon College

Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally and Other Advocacy Groups Urge NCAA To Include Non-Discrimination Language In New Constitution

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Athlete Ally and 16 other national advocacy organizations publicly released a letter sent yesterday to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Mark Emmert and NCAA governance calling on the organization to include and strengthen non-discrimination protections in the organization’s updated constitution. The letter was sent as the NCAA meets to vote on an amended constitution at their national convention, held between January 19th-22nd, and as the NCAA announced a new policy regarding transgender athletes. In November, the NCAA released a preliminary version of their amended constitution that stripped the governing document of previously existing non-discrimination language that would protect women, athletes of color, and LGBTQ+ athletes from discrimination in competition across the country.

Organizations that have signed onto this letter to the NCAA include: Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, American School Health Association, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Athlete Ally, Equality Federation, GLAAD, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, GLSEN, Lambda Legal, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Education Association (NEA), National Women's Law Center, SAGE, School Social Work Association of America, The Trevor Project.


"If the NCAA is committed to ensuring an environment of competition that is safe, healthy, and free from discrimination, they cannot dodge the question of how to ensure transgender athletes can participate safely,” said Human Rights Campaign Vice President for Policy & Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof in reaction to the NCAA’s new policy on transgender inclusion released late yesterday. “That is precisely why we and a number of organizations across a wide spectrum of advocates are urging them to readopt and strengthen non-discrimination language in their constitution to ensure the Association is committed to enforcing the level playing field and inclusive policies they say their values require. Any policy language is only as effective as it is enforceable, and with states passing anti-transgender sports bans, any inclusive policy is under immediate threat. We are still reviewing the NCAA's new policy on transgender inclusion and how it will impact each and every transgender athlete."

"We are deeply committed to ensuring the health, safety and success of all college athletes, and this includes transgender and nonbinary athletes,” said Athlete Ally Director of Policy & Programs Anne Lieberman. “Including comprehensive nondiscrimination language in the Constitution is a core piece of this work; as we learn more about how the NCAA's new guidelines for transgender participation will be implemented, we will keep pushing the NCAA to center the lived experiences of college athletes."

Key Excerpts From Today’s Letter:


“...While decentralizing the NCAA and giving power to conferences and schools has its benefits, we are concerned that leaving the enforcement of non-discrimination protections to schools will create a patchwork of protections rather than a comprehensive policy that would protect all athletes, no matter where they play. This would be similar to the patchwork of non-discrimination policies in states, where marginalized groups in some states or cities are protected while others are left behind by localities that opt not to enact inclusive policies. The health, safety, and well-being of every athlete is paramount, and a particular challenge for transgender athletes who have to contend with discriminatory laws that are being enacted in states across the country.”

“The political climate that we have seen develop in certain state legislatures gives us little hope that non-discrimination and fair treatment are principles that will be consistently upheld by state laws, or that state policies are even trending in the right direction. This past year, legislatures across the country have passed legislation that undermines the rights and protections of marginalized groups, from anti-abortion laws that undermine the rights of people who can become pregnant, to voting disenfranchisement laws that target and disproportionately impact communities of color, to anti-critical race theory legislation, to anti-transgender laws that ban trans participation in youth sports outright. Repeated attempts by organizations and individuals to fight against inclusive interpretations of Title IX make clear that the NCAA must be an active partner in the fight for equality.”

Our request is simple and straightforward. The NCAA should put non-discrimination language with enumerated categories in its new constitution as it did with its previous version with the clear disaggregation of gender identity…”

“…In previous fights, the NCAA has forcefully spoken up against anti-transgender legislation, committing to holding championships only in states that are “safe, healthy, and free from discrimination” in response to the 2017 passage of HB 2, the discriminatory bill in North Carolina. Transgender young people of all ages are harmed by discriminatory anti-transgender laws, and it’s important to remember that denying transgender children and youth from playing sports today is tantamount to denying the transgender NCAA athletes of tomorrow…”

In 2021, during the worst anti-transgender state legislative session on record, the Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, and others called on the NCAA to step up their leadership, as the organization has done in previous anti-equality state legislative fights. The NCAA responded by publicly expressing opposition to anti-transgender laws and reaffirmed its commitment to their principle of awarding championship host sites to locations that were “safe, healthy, and free from discrimination.” Yet, after their statement, the NCAA violated its own principle by announcing softball tournaments at schools in Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee, all states that passed anti-transgender legislation last year. Ten states have enacted anti-transgender sports bans, including legislation in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Executive Orders in South Dakota.

In 2015 the NCAA spoke out forcefully against the ratification of an anti-LGBTQ religious refusal bill in Indiana, threatening to reconsider future events and the maintenance of their corporate headquarters within the state. In 2017, the NCAA refused to award any championship host sites in North Carolina in response to the legislature’s hateful and discriminatory “bathroom bill,” lifting its prohibition upon the legislature’s repeal of the law.

The full text of the letter to the NCAA can be read here.