A facilitator in the NCAA Division III LGBTQ OneTeam program has resigned due to the organization's updated policy on the participation of transgender athletes, Fox News reports.
Dr. Dorian Rhea Debussy, who is nonbinary/transfeminine and uses they/them pronouns, last year led almost 40 OneTeam members in signing a letter pushing the NCAA to head off any anti-transgender legislation in the then-upcoming session.
DeBussy wrote in a resignation letter this week that they were "deeply troubled by what appears to be a devolving level of active, effective, committed, and equitable support for gender diverse student-athletes within the NCAA's leadership. As a non-binary, trans-feminine person, I can no longer, in good conscience, maintain my affiliation with the NCAA."
DeBussy went on to say that "the NCAA notes that their updated policy still mandates rigid testing schedules for endocrine levels, while the IOC’s updated policy strongly emphasizes the importance of bodily autonomy and scientific evidence in ensuring fairness."
Debussy added that the new policy "defers to relevant policies of the governing bodies for each individual sport, while also not setting a clear and direct expectation for a trans-inclusive environment.
"In contrast, the IOC’s updated policy clearly affirms the rights of athletes to participate safely and without prejudice, while also mandating that relevant policies for each sport must fall in line with the IOC’s framework and expectations for an evidence-based, non-discriminatory, and stakeholder-centered approach," DeBussy continued.
"Their steadfast opposition to anti-LGBTQ+ — and especially anti-trans —legislation appears to have waned in recent years. For example, the NCAA, just last year, awarded championship tournaments to multiple states that had actually passed legislation, which limits the participation of gender diverse student-athletes.”