An ex-student athlete and parents grapple with the harm the SCOTUS decision will have on trans youth
Published
July 5, 2026 6:30AM (EDT)
LGBTQ+ rights advocates rally outside the US Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in challenges to state bans on transgender athletes in women's sports on January 13, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)
Mikael McLaren counts himself as one of the lucky parents. When his daughter, now 21, sought to run cross-country in middle school and field hockey in high school, she was allowed. He didn’t have to go toe-to-toe with her school over regulations barring trans students from playing sports that aligned with their gender identity, or break the news that it would deny her the same access to athletic opportunities afforded to other girls in her school. It wasn’t without some obstacles, but her teams didn’t care that she was transgender; they only cared that she could play. Ultimately, his daughter had the power to decide for herself to quit hockey her senior year as the political climate in Ohio became more hostile.
