Transsexual Boy (sic) Allowed to Play on Girls' Softball Team

[Jamie D]

Transsexual Boy Allowed to Play on Girls' Softball Team

Charisma News | The Christian Institute

A teenage boy in California will be the first transsexual student in his state to play on a girls' softball team at his school, after a controversial new law came into effect in January.

Patrick Cordova-Goff tried out for the softball team after a new California state law gave transsexual students the choice to join either girls' or boys' sports teams at school.

The 5-foot, 8-inch 17-year-old male student, who wants to be a girl, is also part of the school's cheerleading squad.

Full article at the link.

[Jamie D]

Azusa High transgender student-athlete Pat Cordova-Goff attends first practice

San Gabriel Valley Tribune | Fred Robledo

Normally the first day of practice isn't a big deal, but at Azusa High School, it was a groundbreaking moment as senior Pat Cordova-Goff, the state's first transgender student-athlete, attended her first practice with the Aztecs softball team after learning last week she made the varsity team following tryouts.

Cordova-Goff, who was born male but identifies herself as female, took fly balls and played briefly at third base during the nearly two-hour practice Tuesday....

Cordova-Goff, who also ran for homecoming queen and was a member of the school's cheer squad, tried out for softball because of a new law — Assembly Bill 1266 — that began in January written by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano that states all schools in California have to allow students to participate in school activities — including athletic teams and competitions — and use facilities consistent with the gender identity with which the student identifies....

Other concerns are how Cordova-Goff will be accepted by her teammates, coaching staff and parents of players on the team. And how will opposing teams and players feel about competing against a transgender student-athlete?

During Tuesday's practice, everyone seemed to get along like a normal softball team.



Full article at link.

(I posted the name of the student because she is fully out)

[Jamie D]

[Carrie Liz]

Sigh... why must certain news organizations ALWAYS misgender trans people in order to sensationalize it? 

Again, they're basically completely ignoring the fact that these people are living their lives as female, and are accepted as female. They just insist on wording it so that it sounds like some random boy is going into the girls' areas on a whim.

[Xenguy]

Charisma News is a very Homophobic and Transphobic site, I wouldn't look at articles there.

[suzifrommd]

Oh, for crying out loud, this isn't news. "Girl plays on girls' softball team."

It only becomes news when people don't think that the person is "really" a girl.

*SIGH*

Trans folks still have such a very, very long way to go.

[Nero]

Yeah for some reason I was thinking, okay, a trans boy (ftm) is playing on the girl's softball team.

[Jamie D]

Yeah for some reason I was thinking, okay, a trans boy (ftm) is playing on the girl's softball team.

That's why I added "sic" to the title.

Sic is shorthand for Sic erat scriptum (Thus it was written), denoting the recognition of an error of some sort.

The importance of the articles, regardless of the source, is that Pat's inclusion on the team is a "first" under the new law in California.

[Nero]

Yeah for some reason I was thinking, okay, a trans boy (ftm) is playing on the girl's softball team.

That's why I added "sic" to the title.

Sic is shorthand for Sic erat scriptum (Thus it was written), denoting the recognition of an error of some sort.

The importance of the articles, regardless of the source, is that Pat's inclusion on the team is a "first" under the new law in California.

Oh I know. But the 'transsexual boy' part caught my eye. Why do they always have to describe it as 'transsexual man/boy'? I guess they think people will be confused as to the 'real' situation if they wrong 'transsexual girl'?

[Jamie D]

Well, given that it was a religious-related publication, they are denying the idea that some people are transgender.  They only can conceive of male and female, and have no room for the rest of us.

Notice that in the regular news, the reporter uses the correct pronouns, even though he does not really understand how Pat feels.  That's progress in my book.

And in California, at least, a transman in school could play on the softball team!  The current law is about breaking down barriers.  I support it.

[Vicky]

Considering the fact that Azusa is also home to Azusa Pacific University which fired a Trans* man who had been their head of the department of Theology as a female for a goodly number of years, you can get the source for some animosity.  Sheer luck the girl lived next door to that mess.  I may have to go over and see one of their ball games, if I can get the schedule of them.  I know they play the school my three children graduated from in the 90's.   WTH.

[DriftingCrow]

http://www.sgvtribune.com/social-affairs/20140311/experts-officials-address-concerns-over-transgender-student-athletes
San Gabriel Valley Tribune; Melissa Masatani

[. . .] Principal Ramiro Rubalcaba was reassured that — for what was a history-making first game — girls were allowed to be girls.

Azusa High School senior Pat Cordova-Goff joined her teammates on the softball field as one of the state's first openly transgender student-athletes to compete on the high school level.

Most parents often are encountering LGBT issues for the first time and have concerns about safety and privacy for their children in bathrooms and locker rooms. These questions are valid and should be brought up to the administration, she said.

[Carrie Liz]

Just wanted to highlight this quote from the article:

Cordova-Goff has opted not to use the locker rooms, the Azusa superintendent said, but there are private changing areas within the locker room for any student to use.

And again, parents are still worried about this? When a trans student living full-time as a girl, competing as a girl, and socially accepted as a girl, is still too scared of using the locker rooms? For God's sake, is it not obvious by now that these bathroom bills are NOT going to be an issue?

[DriftingCrow]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/15/transgender-teentakestothesoftballfieldwithalltheothergirls.html
Rebecca Ruiz, Al-Jazeera America

She might seem like any other highly motivated teenage girl overcoming tough odds if it weren't for the media attention surrounding her latest achievement: joining the girls' softball team.

The bill, which remains the target of a referendum campaign to overturn it by popular vote this fall, has stirred an intense debate about how to balance the needs of transgender youth with those of their peers.

"There are moments where we forget about what everyone else is saying and we're just playing a sport we love," she said. "And those are the moments that I'm trying to make the whole season."