Things are changing very quickly south of the border and coaches, associations and provincial and national sports organizations need to be alert to possible legal issues that may arise when travelling to the USA for competitive opportunities.
Trump recently signed an executive order that significantly impacts the rights of transgender people. In addition, some American states are taking very aggressive and unwelcoming positions regarding the participation of transgender athletes in sporting events.
If you are planning to travel with a team to the USA for competitive opportunities, you need to make sure that all athletes, coaches and others involved with the team are able to participate and feel safe. In Canada, gender identity and gender expression are protected grounds in our human rights legislation across the country. It has been found that sport is a service under those codes. If you organize a competitive opportunity that a transgender athlete cannot safely participate in due to the laws and practices of a foreign country in which you are travelling with your team, you may be vulnerable to a human rights complaint here in Canada.
In my view, the rights and safety of all of your athletes should be of outmost importance and extreme caution should be used when considering opportunities to compete in the USA at this time and ensure that all athletes are comfortable, safe and able to compete in your chosen destination.
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