Athletics

This page includes the following

• Athletics

  • Intramural

  • Club

  • Varsity

  • Payne-Whitney Gym

May 2023: Much of this information needs to be updated as a result of rapidly changing rules and regulations on a national and international level.

Intramural

Intramural sports are played year round between teams of students from each residential college. Some students play IM sports fairly seriously and others only occasionally or never. IM games are sometimes “co-ed” or sometimes women’s/men’s teams. In “co-ed” games, teams are required to have a certain number of women playing. The IM rules don’t mention trans people, and there is no reason a trans person could not play on the team of their choosing, but in practice students may encounter issues. Also, this system does not do much to account for nonbinary people. Please reach out to the Yale LGBTQ Center or folks from Trans@Yale if you have any problems with IMs.

Club

Yale club sports have no official policy on transgender athletes. The handbook does prohibit discrimination on the basis of "gender identity or expression." However, most club sports fall under some sort of jurisdiction and will probably have similar requirements to varsity athletes.

Varsity

Varsity athletics are governed by NCAA rules. Currently, DMAB people may compete on men's teams at any time but may only compete on women's teams after being on testosterone blockers for at least a year. DFAB people can compete on men's or women's teams, but may not compete on women's teams if they are on testosterone. The NCAA has no framework for addressing nonbinary gender identity.

Payne Whitney Gym

There is a “unisex” changing and shower room right outside the fitness center on the fourth floor. Ask the attendant for the entry code. You can have a locker in any locker room you feel comfortable going in, and the locker rooms on the second floor have completely private shower and changing rooms with doors (that said, these are still inside of gendered locker rooms).