AAVC Transgender Statement

On March 25 of this year, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a law banning transgender women and girls from competing in school sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The Ann Arbor Velo Club believes that sports must be accessible to everyone. We believe that we must work hard to make our transgender and non-binary persons feel welcome and participate fully in the beautiful sport of cycling. We believe that the law in Arkansas does the opposite: it excludes a minority of athletes who have already suffered enough. And we strongly condemn this law, and any law, act, or statement that aims to take away the rights of transgender people.

To our members: the Club is talking about what action we can take to support transgender rights in cycling. If you want to be part of that conversation, join #diversity-inclusion-committee on Slack, join a Board meeting, or contact AAVC President, Laurens de Jong.

To our transgender and non-binary members: we appreciate that you are part of our community and we want you to stay with us forever. We ride behind you in your struggle just to be yourself. Ride strong.