Earl doesn’t swim anymore, although he used to. In fact, he doesn’t go into locker rooms at all anymore if he can avoid them. “I went one time in a men’s locker room. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I was so anxious. I felt like I went and changed in a stall. It was like, ‘This is not worth it.’”

Earl is transgender. He transitioned several years ago, and, as a result, he feels that parks aren’t as safe a place to be as they once were. His concerns are reasonable. In a national survey of 6,450 transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, slightly more than a quarter (26 percent) reported having been assaulted because of their gender identity and one-fifth (22 percent) reported being denied equal treatment by a government official. We have a responsibility to provide safe and healthy recreation opportunities to all of our citizens. Any agency that is not specifically addressing the needs of its transgender users may be obstructing participation without knowing or intending to do so.

Our programs and facilities can pose particular challenges for transgender individuals. For instance, many of the programs we provide are aimed at a specific gender. Even co-ed teams in many sports have rules that require a certain number of women to be on each team. Limiting activities in this way may unknowingly put recreation agencies into the gender policing business, where they must create policy to determine who is “really” male or female. Often, our forms require participants to choose M or F, when transgender individuals may put themselves somewhere else on the spectrum and use terms like “genderqueer.” Facilities like locker rooms and restrooms can also be difficult for transgender individuals to navigate safely, especially in the absence of family restrooms or locker rooms. The net effect of these barriers may be to reduce participation in physical activity. Park and recreation agencies have a responsibility to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem but may feel they lack the knowledge or understanding needed to adequately serve the transgender community. However, agencies can take concrete steps toward encouraging equitable access to recreation facilities and services. The needed changes can be sorted into three categories: agency culture, policies, and facilities and programs.

  

It is vitally important to foster a welcoming environment for transgender individuals, so addressing your own workplace culture is the first step. This step requires that the agency first know that there’s a need and be committed to serving transgender individuals. You should put your commitment into writing, stating explicitly that transgender individuals are welcome in your facilities and programs. Ensure that your nondiscrimination statements include gender identity, and explain your stance to both part-time and full- time staff members. This is a step that, as of this writing, NRPA has not yet taken. Its position statement on the Social Equity Pillar does not address gender identity. Without written guidance, staff members may not know how to respond when a transgender individual contacts them about accessing programs and facilities. This should not be an open question for your staff.

Actions speak even louder than words, and when an agency creates programming that is specifically targeted at the transgender community, for example hosting a transgender swimming hour, that sends a message to staff members about the culture of the organization. When time and funds are devoted to such efforts, it sends a strong message to staff that discriminatory behavior is not tolerated. All agency efforts to create equitable access to programs and facilities should thus be communicated to all staff, including seasonal or part-time staff. Administrators may also consider additional training for staff members to help them understand the needs of the transgender community. Even better would be to recruit qualified transgender individuals to positions of leadership within the agency. For example, if there are positions open on an advisory board, you might specifically send the notification to your local transgender organization. You may also wish to create an ad hoc committee of transgender individuals to advise your park system on how to structure your programs, facilities and policies to meet their needs.

The next step is to ensure that your policies are welcoming of transgender participants and staff. Written policies can help drive norms within your agency, so this step can also affect agency culture. Poorly written policies can have the effect of barring transgender individuals from participation altogether. When crafting policy, your first priority should be to reach out to local members of the transgender community, ask them what they need, and listen carefully to their responses. Many communities have an LGBT center, which is a great place to start if you don’t already have contacts in the local transgender community. There may also be transgender support groups in your city or county.

 

In general, the most transgender-positive policies will be those that allow the individual to determine for themselves which facilities or programs are most appropriate. Anyone using your facility should have full access to the changing, shower and restroom areas that correspond to their gender identity. People participating in sport or other programs should be able to participate in accordance with their gender identity, should that be relevant, regardless of any medical treatment. Policies that rely on identity documents, such as driver’s licenses, are problematic, since one-third of transgender individuals do not have identification that matches their gender identity. Similarly, policies that are based on medical status, such as whether patrons are taking hormones, can create needless hurdles for users to clear just so that they can participate. Equitable access necessitates removing any obstacles to participation. All policies should be in writing and should be readily available to the public and staff.

Once you have addressed your organizational culture and put transgender-friendly policies in place, you can focus on your programs and facilities. You may find that there is some interest and need for programming that is aimed specifically at the transgender community. Partnering with a community group to provide this will help you reach out to potential users and ensure that you are providing a service in which the community is interested. Such partnerships can be very productive. For example, City Gym in Kansas City partnered with a group of transgender men to start a fitness program. The program gave participants a safe space, both physically and emotionally, to accomplish their fitness goals (“Transgender men build their bodies, confidence at KC’s City Gym,” Kansas City Star, August 3, 2015). That partnership came about partly because the gym had gender-neutral changing rooms. Gender-neutral or family changing rooms and showers can help many transgender individuals feel safer, but not all transgender individuals will wish to use them. You will also need to ensure that there are partitions between showers and a stall with a door in the men’s restrooms. Facilities that allow for privacy while changing benefit more people than just the transgender community, while also increasing safety and comfort for transgender individuals. Agencies should take a critical look at all of their facilities to assess whether privacy is available to all users.

While small changes may make your policies, programs and facilities more accessible to transgender individuals, a more concerted effort may be needed to ensure success. If this is the case, you will want to make a formal plan. You will need to assemble a group to create goals and objectives for the plan; do an assessment of your policies, programs and facilities; and determine what changes should be made. Again, make sure that you get input from community members, especially the transgender community. Once your plan is in place, you will need to monitor it for success and possibly make adjustments as time goes on. The most important thing is that your agency commits to serving this underserved group, because providing equitable access to parks makes our communities healthier, happier places to be for everyone.