Key points
- Transgender basketballer Lexi Rodgers is bidding to play in the semi-professional NBL1 competition in Australia.
- She says "it's been a hard week" for the transgender community and asks people to "please be nice".
- An advocate says the transgender community is suffering from "constant negativity, discrimination and isolation".
Transgender basketball player Lexi Rodgers has urged people not to "yell stuff on the internet" about trans athletes and remember "there's actually a person" involved.
Rodgers is seeking to play in the semi-professional NBL1 competition in Australia, leading Basketball Australia to announce last week it had convened a panel to assess the application of a transgender athlete.
"We understand this is a complex and challenging issue and it is our intent to expedite the decision and provide clarity to all athletes and the basketball community. Given the nature of this case, we ask for respectful commentary," the peak body said.
Speaking on former WNBL player Anneli Maley's podcast Under the Surface, Rodgers asked people to "please be nice", adding that "it's been a hard week".
The sportswoman said it felt good to speak up for transgender athletes.
"It's good to have a bit of a voice now, because when it's a hypothetical person and people are making a picture of what a transgender athlete looks like in their head: one, I don't think it's me, but two, I think it's a bit harsh and people forget there's actually a person," she said.
"If you don't get it and you don't know: one, don't yell stuff on the internet about it because it's probably wrong. Two, go and learn about it, go and ask about it."
"[People] need to take the time to listen and not let their biases or their opinions get in the way," she added.
Rodger's comments come after the in female international track and field competitions if they have undergone male puberty.
The governing body said the decision had been made to “protect the future of the female category”.
The announcement follows a similar move from the swimming's world governing body, FINA, which in 2022 voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions and create a working group to establish an "open" category for them in some events.
Trans advocate Eloise Brooke, from Sydney-based The Gender Centre, told SBS News it was a tough time for the transgender community.
"Mental health from constant negativity, discrimination and isolation makes the trans community one of the most vulnerable in Australia," she said.
She described the World Athletics Council's announcement as "particularly cruel", especially given it will become effective on 31 March, Transgender Day of Visibility.
"For all [President Sebastian] Coe’s words of tough decisions not taken lightly, they didn’t bother to check, or consider the mental health toll of putting in place an international sporting ban on the same day as a day set aside to celebrate trans people."
'Confident in being part of the team'
Rodgers said she expected to give up on her sport dreams when she made the decision to medically transition, before realising a basketball career was still an option.
At her first session after transitioning, she said she was "so nervous".
"I didn't know what to expect from the club or the girls. I was pretty scared."
A few months in, she says she feels "confident in my playing ability [and] confident in being part of the team".
"All the girls have been so welcoming, so lovely, so much better than I ever thought anyone could be in this space ... the same with all the coaching and even the club. They've all been so welcoming. They all ask me the right questions. They are all really sensitive to what could be an issue for me and how to go about it and how to address these different things. It's been amazing."
She added that she's "super grateful" to play with the team.
"Every time I'm on the basketball court, every time I'm with the girls, every time I've got anything going on that's to do with playing basketball, it's just a gift. I never thought I'd be here … playing basketball again at this level … It's super exciting and I'm super grateful," she said.
"I'm committed to playing basketball and I want to make it my career."
LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit . also has a list of support services.
