October 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 65

It's About Identity
When people question why I let my daughter wear her hair so short or dress the way
she does, I like to show them the pictures
on the right.
Then, I ask, " If she was your kid, which
outfit would you buy for her? " and " Doesn't
everyone deserve to feel great about themselves like she does in the second photo? "
My daughter has been showing a strong
tendency toward male gender expression
since she was 4 years old - this is who she
is. Often, the way she looks causes people
to be uncomfortable. When she walks in
the women's restroom, when she steps up
to bat at a softball game, when her friends
refer to her with female pronouns at the
swimming pool - people are confused, and
it makes them visibly uncomfortable. They
mistake her for a boy every day and then feel

from gender spectrum education.
Comments like, " Really? That
kid is a girl? " are more common,
and more hurtful, than one might
think. Remember, it is never OK
to ask about or even allude to a
person's private parts when helping them select a program.

It's About Policies
It is always best to check with federal, state and local laws when
creating policies for your agency.
When it comes to gender spectrum inclusion, most protective
laws are being created at the state
level. Researching your state's anti-harassment policies, department
of health regulations, and fair employment and human rights laws is
a great start.
The federal government does
have a few protections in place:
federal employers and contractors
are prohibited from discrimination
based on gender identity (Execu-

awkward about it. Once they get past their
initial confusion about her appearance, they
often find her to be athletic, funny, smart,
tenacious and a loyal friend. Still, as a gender nonconforming child, she is in a group
that is at a high risk of bullying, discrimination, depression and suicide.
Last spring, I was coaching a soccer
game for my daughter's team. The referee
stopped the game and demanded that my
daughter be removed from the field, because she was obviously a " boy. " I insisted
the game continue with my daughter on the
field, but this incident caused much commotion. Things got complicated at the game
and with the clubs and league afterwards.
Also, my daughter was humiliated in an environment where she had previously found
emotional safety.
As I worked through the incident with

tive Orders 13087 and 13672), and
many courts have been ruling that
gender nonconforming people are
protected by federal sex discrimination laws.
Once you have a scope of the
legal requirements, create policies
that meet or exceed the protections
needed to include everyone on the
gender spectrum. Consider adding
the following:
1. Anti-discrimination language to
your hiring policy to protect gender identity and expression
2. Allowance for sports participants
to play on the team with which
they identify
3. Allowances for patrons to use
the restroom and locker rooms
where they feel safest
4. Anti-bullying policies and behavior requirements in your youth
programs
5. Find company health insurers that are inclusive and cover
transition care for transgender

the soccer club managers and coordinators, I became aware of the challenges that
many of us in recreation have been, or soon
would be, facing. Programs run by volunteers and staff who are not up-to-date on
gender spectrum inclusion are at risk of accidently ostracizing community members.
So, I began to investigate ways to bridge
the information gap and promote inclusion
for my gender-unique child and other gender nonconforming people like her.

employees. Healthcare providers are prohibited from blanket
transgender exclusions, but actual services can vary based on
provider and state.
Inclusion is an ongoing mission.
Recreation professionals play a
key role in cultivating a positive
environment for community development. You don't need to be
an expert, parent a soccer-playing
tomboy, or even know all the latest nonbinary vocabulary words
to promote acceptance. A basic
understanding of the gender nonconforming population should
provide a good foundation to create outreach, training and policies
for your agency.
Detailed references for this article
are available at www.parksandrecre
ation.org/2018/October/gender-spec
trum-inclusion-for-recreation-profes
sionals.
Becky Herz is the Senior Recreation Services Manager for
Sunrise Recreation & Park District (bherz@sunriseparks.com).

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