LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In February, Fischer Wells, a seventh-grade field hockey player at Westport Middle School who is transgender, went before lawmakers to try to stop Senate Bill 83.
“I really don’t want this bill to pass because that means I can’t play and it will be extremely detrimental to my mental health as well, because I know that sports is a great way for me to cope with things,” she told lawmakers in a February 2022 committee meeting.
What You Need To Know
- Fischer Wells is a rising Louisville eighth grader and a transgender girl
- She testified against Senate Bill 83 in February
- The legislation, which received final approval in April, bans transgender girls in grades 6-12 from playing girls' sports
- Fischer said the new law means she will no longer be able to play on her school's field hockey team
The bill, which received final approval in April over the governor’s veto, bans transgender girls in 6th through 12th grades from playing girls’ sports, so Fischer can no longer play on her school’s field hockey team.
“I was excited to play my 8th grade year because we’d have new 8th, new 7th, new 6th, we’d have a whole bunch of people because we’d have some returning players,” she said last week.
Supporters of the legislation, which also bans transgender women from playing on college women’s teams, said it is about fairness and reestablishing the integrity of women’s sports.
“Boys have athletic advantages even before puberty in cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, speed, agility and power tests,” said Sen. Robby Mills (R, Henderson) in February.
Last month, the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights recognized Fischer as an emerging civil rights leader. She said speaking up felt like the right thing to do.
“Mainly because this is wrong,” she said. “This is very wrong. Just bad all around.”
Fischer’s mother, Jenifer Alonzo, said her daughter helped to build the school’s field hockey team from the ground up.
“I am really proud of her and her willingness to speak out and talk to people and kind of shoulder ... the emotional heaviness about what happened and still be willing to put herself out there,” she said. “Fischer’s just a kid. She’s a kid who happens to be trans and is out.”
Fischer isn’t putting away her field hockey stick for good, though. She said she may still play in a private league, or try a different sport, and she still plans to cheer on her former Westport Middle teammates.