USA Climbing’s Transgender Athlete Participation Policy Will Exclude Trans Athletes From Competition
Beyond the many ways USA Climbing’s policy is harmful to trans climbers, it also presents many logistical barriers to climbers, and is also poorly enacted in the mechanisms USA Climbing intends to use for implementing its requirements.
Barriers to Access and Exclusion of Trans Athletes
Climbers Legally Barred from Compliance
In 2023 nearly 600 anti-trans bills have been proposed in 49 states across the country. Additionally, there have been more bills targeting gender-affirming healthcare in 2023 than the last 5 years combined. As of November 12, 2023, 22 out of 50 states have passed legislation banning access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors. If a transgender athlete under the age of 18-years-old currently resides in these states, they are legally unable to access the medical care required for their eligibility to compete as per the USAC Transgender Participation Policy.
Extra Expenses
Some but not all insurance companies cover hormone testing. Testing for testosterone levels can cost up to $400 for each test. Requiring tests one year, six months, and six weeks before their first international-track (All but Youth C and D) competition could mean as much as $1,200 that climbers wish to compete in. The costs here to climbers or climber families can be unsustainable and ultimately insurmountable.
Test Scheduling
Given a 7-day window for testing eligibility, it places constraints on the athlete with little room to adapt for sickness, family emergencies, travel, and general schedule changes. The required liquid chromatography tests coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) - the preferred method of testing as stated by USAC - need to be analyzed by a lab to receive results. This can take anywhere from a few hours to weeks, averaging a 10-day turnaround, depending on the lab service facilitating the test. With a 10-day average turnaround, athletes would need to test outside of the eligibility window to receive test results in time for competition.
Medical Privacy
USA Climbing is not a HIPPA compliant entity and does not have any of the adequate systems in place to keep the medical or personal information they are requiring safe. USA Climbing has a known history of allowing information about trans athletes to leak, causing harassment to families and athletes. Without a system in place to keep this information safe, USA Climbing is risking the privacy and confidentiality of trans climbers.