In the USA Curling Board of Directors meeting that took place on Oct. 2, 2021, in Cleveland, Ohio, a Board vote approved USA Curling’s updated Transgender Participation Policy and Guidance.

The Policy was drafted by USA Curling’s LGBTQ+ subcommittee, a subset of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, comprised of individuals who identify as members of the community or allies and advocates of the community, collectively bringing an array of geographic and experiential backgrounds to the sport of curling.

The USA Curling Transgender Participation Policy and Guidance was drafted under the following principles:

1. USA Curling seeks to respect all backgrounds, experiences, and identities and assumes from the outset that athletes who compete under these rules are doing so not to gain a competitive advantage, but to participate with their peers and experience the joy and spirit of curling as who they are.

2. USA Curling recognizes that gender expression and/or gender identity may or may not be the same as a person’s assigned sex and that gender identity does not function on a binary system.

3. Gender affirming surgery is not required for an individual to participate in athletic competition and is not required by USA Curling under any circumstances.

4. Each person is in control of the ways they present and express their gender identity, and as such, no person should have their identity disclosed without their express consent.

5. An individual’s transgender or non-binary identity constitutes protected health information, and disclosure of personal medical information is not required beyond what is required of cisgender athletes.

6. USA Curling will not require any participant to undergo any testing, of any sort, to verify a gender identity or non-gendered status.

   a. Athletes will be subject to requirements of any other governing bodies when attending events hosted by those governing bodies, such as the World Curling Federation or International Olympic Committee.

Guided by these principles, the Subcommittee created a policy that doesn’t bar transgender athletes from play or require transgender and non-binary participants to undergo specific medical treatments or disclosures as required by the previous policy. Additionally, the Policy was written to serve as a grassroots resource as it provides guidelines for curling clubs wishing to create a more inclusive environment.

Under the updated Transgender Participation Policy and Guidance, passed by the Board of Directors on Oct. 2, 2021, an athlete’s declaration of gender identity through the process of registering for a gendered event is sufficient. If the athlete has declared a gender different from sex assigned at birth, the declaration cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for the duration of the curling season.

Athletes competing in U.S. championship events leading to Olympic, Paralympic, or World Curling competition may be subject to United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) testing, and therefore, assume the responsibility of adhering to USADA’s banned substances to maintain eligibility as the Policy does not supersede any restrictions established by USADA.

“The updates to USA Curling’s Transgender Athlete Participation Policy and Guidance better align USA Curling with its mission of making the game accessible to everyone,” said United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC) Representative Colin Hufman. “I’m really excited about the growth of the game in the U.S. and this policy shows that USA Curling is committed to evolving as our sport reaches more people.”

USA Curling thanks the members of the LGBTQ+ Subcommittee for the expansive amount of research, revision, and collaboration that went into developing the USA Curling Transgender Participation Policy and Guidelines, as well as the USA Curling Board of Directors for, in a unanimous vote, passing the Policy and moving the sport of curling forward to a more inclusive future.

USA Curling is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, Toyota, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Training HAUS, Brakebush, ISS (Ice, Sports & Solar), and Sitrin, and is partnered with IHG, Rock Solid Productions Inc., Laurie Artiss Ltd. – The Pin People, and United Airlines.