Transgender “are not a threat to women’s sports,” US women’s national team captain

Becky Sorburn called for an end to “hateful bills targeting transgender athletes” in a campaign for a newspaper.

Transgender girls “are not a threat to women’s sports,” the US women’s national team captain said in a statement .

The state Senate is taking up legislation that would ban transgender girls from girls’ sports teams. Although similar legislation failed last year, it has strong support this year, the Columbia Missourian newspaper reported.

The state’s public high schools already bar transgender girls from competing on teams unless they have undergone at least a year of hormone therapy and take medication to maintain their hormone levels.

“The bills introduced in the Senate this week are attempts to fix a problem that doesn’t exist at all, and they are taking young people away from an outlet that brings them joy, connection and purpose. Sowerburn added.

Sauerbrunn, who has appeared in 212 games for the USWNT since 2008, “has faced countless challenges to gender equality in sports,” but the inclusion of transgender women and girls is not among them.