Jazz Jennings felt “excluded” when she was banned from soccer at age 8

Jazz Jennings, then and nowPhoto: Twitter screenshot/Shutterstock

As dozens of states consider bills to ban transgender youth from school sports, television personality Jazz Jennings spoke about when she was banned from playing soccer at age eight because of a transphobic policy.

“The ban made me feel excluded, had no merit, and negatively affected me and my family,” the star of I Am Jazz tweeted.

Related: Elliot Page knew he was a boy since he was 9. It took the pandemic for him to transition.

“Your decision has taken away a piece of her heart and her parents’,” her father says in the video. “Please let her play girls travel soccer presently, or let me know what reasonable steps we must take for you to change your position.”

Two years later, she was allowed to play when the team adopted a more accepting policy.

In the video’s captions, Jennings referenced how one of the main arguments against transgender girls playing team sports is that they may have a competitive advantage over cisgender girls their age. The argument is already faulty when it comes to adult, professional athletes, and it’s more difficult to understand when it comes to eight-year-olds playing soccer.