Transgender athletes have been the topic of heated debate for years, with critics claiming their presence is “unfair” or “unsafe” for their cisgender teammates whose genders align with their birth sex. President Trump amplified such views by signing an executive order entitled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” on February 5, barring transgender girls from girls sports teams. Despite the fact that transgender people make up only 1 to 2 percent of the United States population, and a far smaller number are athletes, this controversy affects every athlete, regardless of identity or team role. 

Raphael Gershtenman-Polydorou (‘28), a cisgender male and point guard on the Tech JV Basketball 24-25 team, expressed concerns about the biological advantages transgender girls may have on girls teams.

“There have been some cases that I’ve read about online, like a college swimmer who dominated their sport,” he explained, referring to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who made a splash at the NCAA Division I championships when critics alleged that her complete domination of the competition was due to her anatomical advantages. 

Another student, who chose to remain anonymous, had a different take on cases like Thomas’. “Physical advantages can come from anywhere, it doesn’t always come from gender,” they argued. “Like being tall or being strong doesn’t always come from being trans.”

In some sports, competing with someone of a different biological sex is standard. Clara Grider (Social Science Research ‘27), a cisgender girls varsity wrestler, spars with male teammates, as do most other girls wrestlers at Tech. Girls wrestling championships are a fairly recent development for New York City PSAL, and Grider noted that “several girls on [the wrestling] team [are] routinely placed in the guys’ competitions at city [championships].” In wrestling, gender is neither  a benefit nor a detriment, but rather another aspect of an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses that one has to assess. 

“It’s just another element that you have to factor in, and compete like they were any other person,” added Grider.

Transgender athletes do exist at Tech, but to protect their own privacy and safety many choose not to out themselves. One transgender student, who plays for a soccer team outside of school, shared their experience with The Survey. 

“People don’t think I’m going to be as good, I see that when they don’t put as many players on me or they’re surprised when I get past them,” they said, adding that, in many cases, the culture of soccer tends to judge people’s ability based on appearances.

In fact, many transgender students are treated differently from their cisgendered peers, with up to 61 percent of transgender students experiencing bullying, compared with the 19.2 percent of high school students overall. 

“As a student at Tech, there are some more discriminatory people, but overall my teachers are very accommodating and very apologetic if they misgender me or anything like that,” the student noted. 

For transgender athletes, anonymity is not only important for personal comfort, but also for safety. While many trans athletes appreciate attention and big crowds at games, others avoid it at all costs.

For AB Hernandez, a California trans athlete on her high school girls volleyball team, sharing her identity led to protesters congregating outside her matches, waving signs that read “Save Girls’ Sports.” She was even singled out by President Trump, who ordered local authorities to prevent her from playing and threatened to cut federal funding for her school, possibly permanently.

Another controversial element of the debate over trans athletes centers on which locker rooms they should use. Gershtenmen-Polydorou points out that undressing for sports may be uncomfortable, even for cisgender students. 

“Even as a guy, I don’t really feel that comfortable changing in front of 50 other people,” Students are also concerned about changing in front of transgender peers, which makes many feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Anthony Cicolini, who is starting his fourth year as the athletics director at Tech, was one of the proponents for gender neutral locker rooms at the school, following DOE policy requiring schools to provide bathrooms fit for gender-nonconforming students.

At first, Tech only had a gender neutral bathroom, but after a year of students coming to him saying they  lacked privacy in the bathroom, Mr. Cicolini knew something had to change. 

“I didn’t like what was happening,” he said. “So I dedicated a bigger space for those kids to feel safe.” This commitment led to the repurposing of the Physical Education offices in 3S4 to make a designated gender neutral locker room.

While opinions about trans athletes are not neatly defined by state or political party, they may have an easier time in a city as progressive as New York City. 

“It is NYC, so most people are pretty accepting,” said the anonymous trans athlete.

In parts of the country, athletes are only allowed to play on the team that matches their gender assigned at birth. PSAL and DOE policy on transgender athletes is far more progressive, allowing students to play for any team and use whichever locker room they identify with. There are also rules to protect students from discrimination. 

Tech also has a team of trained adults who ensure students feel comfortable and safe, including a guidance team of over thirty people, and one certified therapy dog, who are all prepared to help transgender students should problems arise with their mental health, social presentation, or bullying. 

Mr. Cicolini is also there to provide support to any students experiencing trouble.“If anything were to arise, my door is always open,” he said.