Samarucs Valencia | LGBTI Sport Club, Spain

Multisport School for Transgender children

THEMES
– Participation in sport
– Fighting discrimination

TARGETED OBJECTIVES
– Promoting inclusive, safe and discrimination-free sports spaces for transgender children.
– Developing their motor, social and emotional skills.
– Opening a space in which families can share their experiences and doubts and promote their empowerment

MAIN INITIATIVE
Transgender people face many limitations for participating in sport. Sport tends to segregate people by gender and is often an unsafe environment for those whose identity fluctuates between what is considered by society to be feminine and masculine.

The multi-sport school for transgender children of the LGTBI+ Samarucs of València Sports Club aims to respond to this problem. The club initially changed its bylaws to accept the participation of children with parental consent. Later, they asked families of transgender children if they wanted to participate in the project. The city council sports organisation provided a facility so that the activity could take place.

The children began to meet on Saturday mornings. They play games and the benefits from practicing sports include: socialisation, improved health, respect for rules, cognitive development, social and emotional communication, etc.

In addition, the family members can talk to one another while the children play and learn
about other similar realities.

BENEFICIARIES
Transgender children, adolescents and their families.

IMPACT OF THE INITIATIVE
Transgender children’s and adolescents’ right to access sports based on their gender identity is guaranteed.

It is the first initiative promoting healthy lifestyles through sport to trans children in Spain that has continuity throughout the school year.

It contributes to meeting the needs of transgender people in recreational and amateur sports, uses inclusive language (in Spanish this means choosing the -e ending for words with a binary ending, which is common and accepted by the children) and the active participation of families in the organisation of activities.

SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY
It is easy to replicate as each session has the traditional elements of warm-up, main part and cool down. In the warm-ups, emphasis is placed on self-care of the body. In the main part, games are chosen and directed by minors. At the end of the sessions with the children, they can express concerns or emotions and share experiences.

It is advisable to disseminate information among family associations and the trans community, hire a monitor with knowledge of diversity and closed and conditioned facilities.

WEBSITE OR RELATED RESOURCES