Opposition to HJ10- Exclude Transgender People in Sports

Opposition to HJ10: Upholding Equality, Science, and Human Rights

To the Members of the Montana Legislature,

I write in strong opposition to House Joint Resolution 10 (HJ10), which seeks to exclude transgender individuals from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity. This resolution not only disregards well-established scientific research on transgender athletes but also echoes dangerous historical precedents where governments used exclusionary policies as a steppingstone to broader discrimination, persecution, and dehumanization.

The Science on Transgender Athletes

Scientific studies have consistently shown that transgender women who undergo hormone therapy experience physiological changes that significantly reduce athletic advantages associated with male puberty. The American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognize that hormone therapy results in muscle mass, bone density, and aerobic capacity changes that mitigate differences over time. The IOC and other sports governing bodies have established policies that ensure fair competition while allowing transgender individuals to participate.

Further, research from the Journal of Sports Medicine and the Endocrine Society highlights that after one to two years of hormone therapy, transgender women’s athletic performance aligns more closely with cisgender female athletes. There is no widespread evidence suggesting that transgender inclusion has resulted in unfair domination of women's sports. Instead, policies excluding transgender athletes are often based on fear, misinformation, and political agendas rather than legitimate concerns for fairness.

The Historical Parallels: Exclusion as a Path to Persecution

HJ10 is not just about sports—it is about defining a group of people as "other" and justifying their exclusion from society. History teaches us that discriminatory policies often begin with seemingly minor exclusions before escalating into systematic oppression.

In early 20th-century Germany, the Nazi Party began its path toward mass persecution by targeting marginalized groups through propaganda that framed them as threats to societal purity, safety, and tradition. One of their early actions in 1933 was the destruction of the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin, a groundbreaking center for LGBTQ+ rights and transgender healthcare. The Nazis burned its archives and research, erasing years of medical advancements in gender-affirming care. What began as a campaign to suppress transgender and LGBTQ+ visibility escalated into a full-scale attempt to eliminate entire populations.

Similarly, Italian and Spanish fascists used exclusionary policies to first isolate and then criminalize minority communities, controlling narratives around morality and tradition to justify their authoritarian rule. These regimes relied on fearmongering, labeling marginalized groups as threats to societal order.

Montana must not follow this path. We must reject policies that seek to dehumanize transgender people under the guise of fairness and protection.

Montana’s Responsibility to Uphold Human Dignity

HJ10 does not protect women’s sports—it weaponizes them to target a vulnerable group. This position is in opposition to the foundations of bodily autonomy. If fairness were truly the concern, the Montana Legislature would focus on expanding funding for women’s athletics, ensuring access to resources, and addressing disparities in sports rather than using transgender athletes as scapegoats.

Discrimination has no place in our state. The Montana government should not be complicit in the same kind of exclusionary tactics that history has shown can lead to tragic consequences. I urge you to reject HJ10 and uphold the values of fairness, inclusion, and respect for all Montanans.