It’s a hot day at Adair Park II in Southwest Atlanta, where fans and players of the Trans Liberation Basketball League (TLBL) slowly gather in and around the shaded basketball blacktop.
The gated portion of the court is decorated with a white banner with “Celebrate Trans Athletes” in pink and green letters as players get shots up before tipoff.
The game of the day is one of the final ones before the league’s championship matchup.
Georgia is among several states nationwide that have restricted transgender youth participation in school sports.
But in Atlanta, this basketball league specifically for trans people has created a community away from the politics — and that pushes past the usual night out at the bar.
A team of WABE reporters take a deeper look at the issues affecting LGBTQ people in Georgia. Plus, LGBTQ Atlantans in their own words, Pride events calendar, LGBTQ coverage from other NPR stations across the South and more.
In its opening season last fall, the TLBL had four teams, and it now has five.
Santana, a volunteer with the league, has been around since the early days. For their safety, they did not want to use their last name.
“I know that some folks have been thinking about wanting to create a league just because, as trans people, we can go out and join pickup games randomly at parks, but like, it just feels weird,” they said.
For this game, Santana is a referee.
“I think people just made a Google form for a sign-up and made a flyer and started putting it out, and then it got a lot of traction,” they said.
Samothy Aldave, an avid attendee, said the league provides a different and healthier space for trans people.
“It’s not like going to a bar where it’s just, we’re going out to drink,” Aldave said. “Or it’s not like just having a house party where you’re just getting drunk and chilling. It’s just like a good, wholesome time with other trans folks.”
The Williams Institute reported in 2022 a total of 48,700 transgender adults living in Georgia. The number makes up less than 1% of the total population.
Players in the league said they believe Atlanta is a unique city for trans people. They feel like it’s a place where others like them can gain a sense of self through community and thrive.
And they said that community is important, especially as lawmakers have targeted the trans community.
In 2022, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1084 into law. The bill allows sports associations to make decisions regarding transgender student-athletes. Shortly after it became law, the Georgia High School Association voted to require athletes to compete based on the gender they were assigned at birth.
This year, a similar bill on trans student-athletes came up in Georgia again. House Bill 1104, which started as a mental health bill, did not end up passing.
“I feel like as a transgender athlete, when it comes to things like being in school, playing in school, and stuff like that, you get kind of, like, pushed out because you got to play with the boys or the girls,” said Kam Reed, who plays for the Shot Doctors team and also helps to raise money by selling hot dogs and other concessions at the games. “I myself, personally, I played with the girls, but when you get to a certain point, you know, I got a beard and everything else, and they’re kind of like, ‘Okay, what the heck is going on,’ you know.”
But when it comes to the legislative action, volunteer referee Santana said they believe it’s more about a political agenda.
“The difference between gender and sex is not something that the folks who are passing these bills really understand or care about,” Santana said. “And the trans issue is like a culture issue for them, so that then they can push other things.”
However, on the court, the league is ensuring a safe place for people in the trans community. Vee Thomas, a player for the Blue Dream, gives the TLBL a lot of credit for their efforts.
“I think everybody needs a space where they feel accepted. And I think this league does that very well,” Thomas said. “And as you can see, it’s definitely mixed across the court, but at the same time, it feels like evened out in a way, evened out skill-wise as well, because you got people that’s not experienced and people that are experienced.”
The Trans Liberation Basketball League gears up for its 2024 championship game on Saturday, June 29, at Lang-Carson Park.
This story is part of the ongoing series Beyond Pride, in which WABE reporters take a deeper look at the issues affecting LGBTQ people in Georgia. Plus, hear LGBTQ Atlantans in their own words, check out a Pride events calendar running through the fall, LGBTQ coverage from other NPR stations across the South and more.
