Medical Care of Transgender Athletes and Policy Implications: ACSM Contemporary Issue Statement.

Transgender and gender diverse people are underrepresented in sports despite comprising 0.6% of the US population.

• Transgender and gender diverse people make up 0.6% of the population in the United States.
• Despite this prevalence, transgender athletes are underrepresented in sports.
• Transgender athletes are increasingly visible and subject to widely discrepant policies regarding their participation in sports.

Transgender athletes face significant barriers to sport participation.

• Barriers to sport participation were identified as a key topic reviewed in this Contemporary Issues statement.
• The paper reviews barriers specifically in the context of providing care for transgender athletes.
• The statement is directed at providers, trainers, coaches, and others caring for this population.

Gender-affirming medical and surgical care has impacts on factors related to sport performance.

• The statement reviews gender-affirming medical and surgical care and their impacts on factors related to sport performance.
• Most of the available data are from nonathlete transgender people, with limited data in transgender athletes specifically.
• The review encompasses both medical and surgical aspects of gender-affirming care as they relate to athletic performance.

Mental health considerations and a framework for understanding stressors and resilience are relevant to the care of transgender athletes.

• The statement reviews mental health considerations as a key component of transgender athlete care.
• A framework for understanding stressors and resilience is provided.
• These topics are reviewed for providers, trainers, coaches, and others caring for this population.

The evidence base for policies regarding transgender athletes is limited by a lack of data specifically from transgender athletes.

• Most of the available data included in the statement are from nonathlete transgender people.
• There are limited data in transgender athletes specifically.
• More robust data in transgender athletes are needed for future policies.
• Current sports policies regarding transgender athlete participation are widely discrepant.