Healthy + Happy #3: Transgender Youth in Sports
Friends of Life Time Foundation,
Happy April and welcome back to another edition of Healthy + Happy, Life Time Foundation's biweekly newsletter covering the latest news, resources and inspiration related to youth nutrition and movement.
In the News
Take Action: Support Kids Not Red Tape Act
On April 4, Congress proposed the new Support Kids Not Red Tape Act to extend the pandemic-based waivers that provided universal school meals. This bill is important for many reasons, but especially in terms of food security for our nation’s youth. If you want to do your part in helping prevent kids in our schools from going hungry, sign this petition and tell Congress to extend these nutrition waivers.
More Chemicals in Fast Food?
The negative effects of fast food are enough for many of us to reconsider exchanging our health for convenience, but a new study about fast food packaging may be just as grim. The wrapping used at many popular fast food stops includes manmade chemicals (PFAS) that resist grease, water and oil. These additives keep fries and burgers looking cleaner from the outside, but not without a price. PFAS have been connected to a variety of health risks, including reduced immunity, increased risk for certain cancers and lower birth weight.
Concussion and Mental Health Impacts
March was Brain Injury Awareness Month and, for children, the most common brain injuries are concussions. Concussions can have lifelong health effects, including increased risk of mental illness. Parents can help reduce the risk of concussions and other injuries in a variety of ways (talking to kids about safety, making sure they have appropriate protection equipment, keeping up on physicals, etc.). One note from the CDC on recovering from concussions: screen time makes things worse.
Leader
Transgender Youth in Sports
President Biden proclaimed March 30, 2022, as “Transgender Day of Visibility,” bringing awareness to the hundreds of anti-transgender bills proposed across the country. Several of these bills prohibit transgender children from competing in school sports according their personal gender identity — instead basing involvment solely on sex assigned at birth. While the debate over trans athletes can be a trickier subject in the world of competitive collegiate athletics, the majority of participation-focused school sports fall into a different category entirely.
School sports provide youth the most direct access for developing healthy movement habits. Sports boost kids’ mental, emotional, physical and social health. They open up career opportunities, have economic and social benefits, and help kids establish a healthy, lifelong love for physical activity. These benefits bolster all children equally.
Legislation that directly or indirectly alienates children can have devastating effects. Normalizing discrimination creates a hostile, unwelcoming environment, demonstrated by the low participation in sports from LGBTQ youth. For transgender youth who are already marginalized, advocates believe these bills would make things much worse. In 2021, 42 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary adolescents. Three in four transgender youth reported symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. These children are suffering. As we engage this issue of transgender athletics, the ACLU reminds us to look out for these common myths. Transgender youth want to participate, compete and achieve in schools sports, just like cisgender youth. Parents and advocates argue Title IX, which protects children from discrimination based on sexual orientation, is being violated — and transgender kids have rights that must be protected.
What if, instead of banning these kids, we embraced them? Work is being done to do just that. Inclusive competition categories — such as “open,” “semi-open,” “closed” and “overlapping” — are being created and used by various organizations. Grants from companies like Nike have funded resources to create an inclusive sports culture.
Learn what you can do to support transgender youth.
Events, Happenings and Opportunities
Applications are due May 1 for ScratchWorks’ inaugural gathering, which will bring together U.S. school food service leaders committed to creating, improving and/or building upon their scratch cooking models.
Project Play Summit, May 4, Washington, D.C.
Aspen Institute Food & Society’s Food Leaders Fellowship, applications due by April 15.
Bras for Girls donates sports bras to girls who need them.
Have other national events or grant opportunities you'd like us to highlight? Let us know.
We hope you enjoyed Healthy + Happy. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or thoughts.
Sincerely,
The Life Time Foundation Team