New York, 13th March, 2023 – Today, Pallas Partners (US) LLP filed an amicus brief on behalf of The Trevor Project in support of a transgender athlete challenging a Florida law that prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
“Laws like this really drop the ball for young transgender women and girls by denying them access to the emotional and physical benefits associated with playing team sports,” said Pallas Partner Shireen Barday. “Pallas Partners is grateful to partner with The Trevor Project in raising awareness about the importance of ensuring that transgender youth can play on sports teams — just like everyone else.”
Pallas Partners (US) LLP, along with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, is pro bono counsel to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people and has been actively working to secure access to inclusive sports teams for transgender athletes.
“With transgender youth already facing high rates of depression, PTSD and suicidality, it is of critical importance that this community be allowed to participate in sports and reap the same mental health benefits as their non-transgender peers,” The Trevor Project brief states. The brief also reports that many transgender youth confirm that “playing sports improved their depression and anxiety.”
The case is D.N. v. Florida State Board of Education and Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr., Case No. 21-61344-CIV (S.D. Fl.). The Trevor Project’s amicus brief can be found here.
The Trevor Project’s 2022 U.S. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health by State found that 54% of transgender and nonbinary youth in Florida seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 1 in 5 (20%) attempted suicide. At a national level, The Trevor Project’s data has found that 71% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported that they have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity. And research has found that transgender and nonbinary youth who report experiencing discrimination based on their gender identity had more than double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not.
When asked about new policies that would ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams and transgender boys from playing on boys’ sports teams, 64% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 44% felt sad, 39% felt stressed, and 1 in 4 felt scared.
