Mass. Trans-Librarians Group

Mass. Trans-Librarians Address Tewksbury Public Library Program's Trans-Exclusionary Bias

Originally released only to colleagues within the Massachusetts Library & Information Science (LIS) professional community on September 27, 2024

On October 2, 2024, the Tewksbury Public Library (MA) is planning to host a virtual program called "Males and Females are Different, and That Matters in Sports." The program's description states it will "summarize the differences in sports performance between males and females, and the biological factors driving these differences. Current research findings on the effects of testosterone suppression and puberty blockers on sports performance will also be reviewed." The program will be led by Dr. Greg Brown, whose professional biography includes community involvement in the Independent Council on Women's Sports, the International Consortium on Female Sport, and Turning Point USA. All of these organizations are known to promote explicitly exclusionary, anti-transgender policies. The program is locally supported by a group called MA 4 Women.

The Tewksbury Public Library's event states, "Please note this program follows another program held by the library earlier this year which offered a different perspective on a similar topic." The other program in question was held by a coalition of Massachusetts and New Hampshire libraries in March 2024, and was titled, "The Real Score: Unraveling Myths About Trans People in Sports." It featured Erin Reed, an independent journalist who reports on trans news and was specifically intended to address misinformation around trans athletic inclusion. In describing the October program as "offer[ing] a different perspective," Tewksbury Public Library takes the stance that the matter of trans athletic inclusion–or exclusion, as the case may be–is a matter of legitimate, abstract discourse. It positions "both sides" as equally valid.

However, a review of Dr. Brown and the organizations associated with the October program makes it clear that this program will not present a fair and balanced perspective, but instead has an explicit trans-exclusionary agenda:

The local supporting organization, MA 4 Women, describes itself as an organization of women who are progressive, liberal, and gay-inclusive; but their "About" page asserts their fundamental belief that "Humans Cannot Change Sex & No Child Is Born In The Wrong Body." This is reflective of an ideology known as trans-exclusionary radical feminism, also sometimes referred to as "gender-critical" feminism, and it is premised on the belief that trans women are actually men, that trans men are actually women, and that nonbinary identities do not exist. It is staunchly anti-trans.

The Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) is "an American anti-transgender advocacy organization that opposes transgender athletes participating in women’s sports." They are involved in the current lawsuit demanding that the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) ban trans women from participating in women's college sports teams and from using restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity. An examination of their official X account reveals tweets consistently misgendering and maligning trans athletes, perpetuating false claims that Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif is trans, and other inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric.

The International Consortium on Female Sport (ICFS)'s Statement of Position is that women's sports require "a dedicated category for those born female," which they define as "a competitor who is biologically female at birth." This position does not allow any space for the consideration or inclusion of intersex, nonbinary, or trans competitors.

Turning Point USA is "a right-wing student organization that has raised millions from conservative donors and has played a significant role in GOP politics and elections." Its founder openly supports Christian nationalism, and the group has ongoing ties to white nationalists.

Finally, while Dr. Brown has published many studies, only one of those was conducted on sex differences. That specific study focused on children ages 8 to 10 years old, which is notable given that children in that age group are prepubescent and do not have secondary sex characteristics. The study did not look at gender diverse teams, trans youth, or the impact hormones might play on changing athletic performance. Dr. Brown is not an endocrinologist. Nevertheless, he has testified as an expert before the North Dakota legislature in favor of HB1298, a partisan bill seeking to ban trans people from athletic participation by defining athletic events as "exclusively for males or exclusively for females," where "male" and "female" refers to "sex indicated on the individual's original birth certificate at the time of birth." A simple Google search of Dr. Brown's name shows that he is very involved in restricting access to sports for trans high school students, and his work has been featured and cited regularly by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group which is notorious for using false claims and disinformation to further anti-LGBTQIA+ policies. Not only is Dr. Brown's work featured, but he has openly stated that "he wrote a brief for the Alliance Defending Freedom and has been an expert, volunteer witness for the organization."

While there is a legitimate discussion to be had about the future of sports in a world that is beginning to recognize sex and gender as a spectrum rather than a binary–a discussion which many trans writers and athletes have already contributed to in thoughtful ways (see Further Reading, below)–this discussion must be grounded in fact and compassion, not in fear, misinformation, or political or personal ideologies. Programs like Tewksbury Public Library's October 2nd talk amplify fear-based rhetoric that is particularly irresponsible considering that adults are showing up to protest trans high school athletes in New Hampshire; a cisgender teen in Utah had to seek police protection after a member of the Utah Board of Education falsely suggested she is trans; and a parent was placed under investigation after her teenage trans daughter was outed and kicked off her volleyball team in Florida–just to name a few examples. It is especially irresponsible in light of new research showing that suicide attempts among trans teens increased by as much as 72% in states that enacted anti-trans laws, such as the laws Dr. Brown advocates for; and that 90% of approximately 18,000 LGBTQIA+ young people surveyed in 2024 report their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.

The American Library Association explicitly affirms the rights of trans people by encouraging library workers to create "safe spaces for dialogue that allow for intellectual freedom as well as the safety for all members of the community, including trans, nonbinary, and gender-diverse people." Further, it states that "libraries must actively affirm and support the safety and rights of transgender people." By giving an uncritical platform to a trans-exclusionary presenter, Tewksbury Public Library has failed its community.

The fact of the matter is that trans inclusion is not fodder for "debate." It is not merely an abstract or philosophical issue; it has real consequences and real impacts on real people. Trans-exclusionary voices deliberately target other people's existing, unconscious biases to make their position seem reasonable. But we ask: What is reasonable about denying the existence of trans people, baselessly positioning trans people as an innate threat to cis people, or arguing that trans people should not have access to spaces or activities that are open to others?

With this in mind, the Massachusetts Trans & Nonbinary Library Workers call on our LIS colleagues to educate themselves about harmful misinformation and the mechanisms by which it operates; and to refuse to work with, promote, or otherwise support presenters or organizations whose "different perspective" is founded on a principle of exclusion; and to clearly name these presenters and organizations for what and who they really are: anti-trans advocates who are ideologically and materially invested in the exclusion of trans people from public life.