Who Gets a Say On Your Body?
A Recap of the Trans Athletes Forum
Jesse Welty | April 14, 2026
What do you get when you try to fit 100 students, faculty and staff into Canon Lounge and ask them to bring their most candid opinions? Fruitful conversation, apparently.
An abundance of diverse thoughts and voiced experiences is exactly what visiting history professor Cris Culton’s History of Gender, Sex and Sexuality class was looking for when they were originally confronted with the idea of hosting a forum focused on the rights of transgender athletes at the beginning of the spring semester. A few weeks before the event, the plan kicked into motion with a deadline of Transgender Day of Visibility, or March 31.
Cris Culton delivers some opening remarks at the Trans Athletes Forum on March 31, 2026 in Canon Lounge at Warren Wilson College, located in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
“I was frankly, extremely skeptical at the idea of having this event,” Jay Char, one of the students in the class who helped with the planning and execution of the forum, said. “I was expecting it to become a debate about trans people's rights to do anything, and I was so pleased that that was not the case.”
Char identified the goal of the forum as mutually beneficial, where everyone could learn and educate regardless of opinion or identity. While the class had originally planned to be present as facilitators, offering help where needed, they quickly found that most people in the room were already well equipped to partake in the discussion.
“I was completely blown away by the fact that everyone else at my table had been thinking and learning about trans people in athletics for longer than I had,” Char said. “They shocked me by knowing way more about specific people who are athletes, who are trans, what their experiences are, what kind of accomplishments they have, how they add to the argument of trans people being in athletics. They knew their shit.”
The first half hour of the forum was originally set aside to allow time for attendees to get settled in, grab food and socialize, however, it had to be extended due to the sheer number of people that attended. Official sign-ins amounted to 96, however, in the chaos, many were missed in the headcount.
After a meal and good conversation, the forum kicked off with an introduction by Culton of the Supreme Court cases that had majorly inspired the event, Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.. Both cases concern young transgender women being barred from taking part in their respective schools’ sports teams, and therefore, athletics as a whole.
With a review of these cases, two discussion questions were presented: “How do we/can we/should we ensure fairness in sports?” and “How do we/can we/should we determine one’s sex?” Each question was followed by 15 minutes of small group discussion, and then was brought back to the rest of the room.
Many individuals brought up the fact that athletics is inherently unfair given the variety of height, weight, resources and many other differences that are present even within strictly gendered teams. Despite this, the idea of ‘fairness’ is so often imposed on women’s teams, which prompted discussion on whether that is due to legitimate concerns or societal frameworks that doubt women's abilities.
Concerns were also raised about the ability to determine sex for the purpose of athletic segregation. One table brought up the frequency at which sexual abuse would take place in situations as vulnerable as genital examinations, especially considering the power imbalances present. Many other tables also raised concerns about how unreliable sex testing is, bringing up the difficulties in actually differentiating ‘women’ from ‘men’ in scientific settings.
Towards the end, athletics director and WWC women’s basketball coach Robin Davis and alumnus Daymón Hinkelman each spoke about their knowledge and experiences regarding transgender athletes.
Davis spoke on the updated NCAA participation policy regarding transgender student athletes that directly affects Warren Wilson College (WWC) students. Effective as of Feb. 6, 2025, the policy states that any student athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth, may participate in men’s sports given that they fit all other NCAA requirements.
Athletics director and women’s basketball coach Robin Davis speaks at WWC Trans Athletes Forum on March 31, 2026 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
In women’s sports, however, any student athlete assigned male at birth is prohibited from competing on a women’s team. Furthermore, any athlete assigned female at birth who decides to begin hormone therapy may no longer compete on the women’s team. However, both groups may still be allowed to practice with these teams and receive all other benefits of student athletes.
Hinkelman, who graduated from Warren Wilson in 2022, spoke on his personal experience as a transgender man participating on the women’s basketball team during his time at WWC. Policies that hindered transgender students' ability to play sports meant that even after coming to terms with his identity, Hinkelman was forced to choose between athletics and transitioning. His devotion to the team and the community surrounding him, as well as the support he felt from Davis, his coach at the time, led him to remain on the basketball team even though it meant he would be unable to transition.
WWC alumn and former student athlete Daymón Hinkelman spoke at the Trans Athlete Forum hosted by Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, N.C. on March 31, 2026. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
Hinkelman provided a very real and impactful story that emphasized the humanity of these athletes who are under such scrutiny. Reminding everyone that, as these discussions happen, it is important to remember the lives of transgender youth who are being impacted, who find community and empowerment in athletics.
The success of this event is seen as merely a stepping stone towards the larger conversations that may be had on the topic of transgender athletes. A baseline was offered for students to hopefully feel empowered to both do further research and seek out viewpoints that they may not have otherwise considered.
“I think it would be really great to do a part two of that event with what we know now,” Char said regarding his feelings on the overall outcome of the forum. “I don't think that it was a perfect event, but I think that it was a really good start to the conversation.”