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How a transgender basketball league is creating space for trans people in Atlanta – WABE

Theo

It’s a warm day at Adair Park II in southwest Atlanta, where fans and players of the Trans Liberation Basketball League (TLBL) slowly gather in and around the shaded asphalt of the basketball court.

The enclosed portion of the field is decorated with a white banner reading “Celebrating Trans Athletes” in pink and green letters as players take shots before kickoff.

Today’s match is one of the last before the championship match.

Georgia is one of several states across the country that have restricted the participation of transgender youth in school sports.

But in Atlanta, this basketball league specifically for transgender people has created a community far from politics – and beyond just a night out at the bar.

When it opened last fall, the TLBL had four teams, and now has five.

Santana, a volunteer with the league, has been there since the beginning. For their safety, they did not want to use their last name.

“I know some people have thought about starting a league just because as trans people we can go out and play pick-up games in parks, but it’s just weird,” they said.

For this game, Santana is the referee.

“I think people just created a Google Form for a signup, created a flyer and started putting it out there, and then it was very successful,” they said.

Samothy Aldave, an avid participant, said the league provides a different, healthier space for trans people.

“It’s not like going to a bar where you just go out to have a drink,” Aldave said. “It’s also not like having a house party where you get drunk and relax. It’s just having a good, wholesome time with other trans people. »

According to the Williams Institute, 48,700 transgender adults lived in Georgia in 2022. This figure represents less than 1% of the total population.

Players around the league said they believe Atlanta is a unique city for transgender people. They feel like it’s a place where others like them can gain a sense of identity through community and thrive.

And they said community matters, especially as lawmakers have targeted the trans community.

In 2022, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1084 into law. The bill allows athletic associations to make decisions regarding transgender student-athletes. Shortly after the bill went into effect, the Georgia High School Association voted to require athletes to compete based on the sex they were assigned at birth.

This year, a similar bill regarding transgender student-athletes was introduced in Georgia. House Bill 1104, which was originally intended to be a mental health bill, ultimately failed to pass.


Kam Reed shoots during the semifinal game between the Shot Doctors and Blue Dream on Saturday, June 22, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

“As a transgender athlete, I feel a little left out when it comes to things like going to school, playing school and those kinds of things, because I have to play with the boys or the girls said Kam Reed, who plays for the Shot Doctors team and also helps raise money by selling hot dogs and other products during the Games. “Personally, I played with the girls, but when I get to a certain point, you know, I have a beard and everything else, and they say to me: ‘Okay, but what pass ? »

But when it comes to legislative action, volunteer arbitrator Santana said they think it’s more about a political agenda.

“The difference between gender and sex is not something that the people pushing these bills through really understand or care about,” Santana said. “And the transgender issue is for them a cultural issue, which means they can move other things forward. »


Vee Thomas (#11) plays defense during the semifinal game between the Shot Doctors and Blue Dream on Saturday, June 22, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

However, on the field, the league provides a safe place for people in the trans community. Blue Dream player Vee Thomas gives a lot of credit to the TLBL for their efforts.

“I think everybody needs a space where they feel accepted. And I think this league does that very well,” Thomas said. “And as you can see, there’s definitely a certain diversity on the field, but at the same time, it feels like it’s balanced in a way, also in terms of skill, because there are players who don’t have experience and players who do.”

The Trans Liberation Basketball League is preparing for its 2024 championship game on Saturday, June 29, at Lang-Carson Park.

This story is part of the ongoing Beyond Pride series, in which WABE journalists take a closer look at issues affecting LGBTQ people in Georgia. Plus, hear from LGBTQ Atlantans in their own words, see a schedule of Pride events through the fall, LGBTQ coverage from other NPR stations around the South and more.

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