Birth certificate keeps transgender athlete off volleyball court
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Like many teenage girls, Alex Trujillo likes makeup, has teen idols and stays active.
Extended interview: Alex Trujillo
Yet, she can't play on the girl's volleyball team at Laguna-Acoma High School. School officials say that's because Trujillo was born a male.
Her mother said she saw it at a young age, about 3 or 4. Trujillo began dressing as a girl in tenth grade. She said it was scary, but she stuck with it, because she finally felt free.
But she isn't free to play the sport she has a passion for.
The gender on student's birth certificate dictates which team he or she will play for, according to the New Mexico Athletic Association. In New Mexico, someone can amend their birth certificate but only after reassignment surgery.
Transgender advocates say that's unfair because not everyone opts to have that surgery.
The state's Department of Health and NMAA both say there are no plans to change the rules.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
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