The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have launched a new awareness campaign aimed at uplifting trans youth in sports. The campaign, entitled More Than a Game, comes as the US Supreme Court is set to consider oral arguments challenging state laws that ban trans girls from school sports participation.

Celebs such as Elliot Page and Naomi Watts are featured in the campaign, alongside sports legends like Brianna Turner, Megan Rapinoe, and Sue Bird. 

The campaign video will play throughout Unrivaled basketball games this season. The campaign features the celebs wearing exclusive merchandise designed by ACLU Artist Ambassador Willy Chavarri.

ACLU’s Chase Strangio remarked to Variety Australia that “More Than A Game is our rejection of the efforts to divide us against one another and is instead a call for the unity we need to defend the freedom we deserve on and off the field”. 

World Cup superstar Megan Rapinoe said, “I am not going to be tricked into sacrificing hard-fought civil rights protections because of anti-trans rhetoric. All women will be harmed if the Court rules against the young trans people at the centre of these cases”. 

The Supreme Court arguments, which have prompted this awareness campaign, follow on from appeals of decisions by lower courts siding with transgender students who have challenged bans on youth sports participation as violating the Constitution. 

The ACLU campaign also launched a petition to accompany this campaign. As actor Benito Skinner says in the video, “supporting trans youth isn’t just about sports. It’s about freedom”. 

“Together with a roster of sports stars, the ACLU is advocating for the freedom of all children to be able to live their authentic lives. This is More Than A Game”, says the ACLU. With 27 states introducing bans on trans women and girls in school sports since 2020, campaigns like these are vital to raise awareness alongside the legal battles being fought to protect the rights of the trans community.