Basketball tournament makes space for trans athletes amid international sports bans

The court, split into competitive and recreational sides, pitted players of all genders against each other for 15-minute matchups.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 8:12pm

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A three-on-three basketball tournament was held in Chicago on Sunday, March 29, 2026, ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility, providing a space for trans and LGBTQ+ athletes to play together. The event was organized by Kienan Carpenter of the Trans Masculine Alliance Sports Club and Mars Cantino of WNBGay, a queer pickup basketball group, in response to recent bans on transgender athletes in international sports competitions.

Why it matters

The tournament comes as transgender athletes face increasing exclusion from organized sports at both the professional and amateur levels, with the International Olympic Committee banning transgender women from women's events and the U.S. government threatening to withhold funding from schools that allow trans girls to play on girls' sports teams. This event aims to create an inclusive space for trans and LGBTQ+ athletes to participate in competitive sports.

The details

The basketball tournament featured teams of all genders and ages competing in 15-minute matchups on a court split into competitive and recreational sides. Organizers Kienan Carpenter and Mars Cantino first met three weeks ago and worked to coordinate their groups to make the event happen. Carpenter, who founded the Trans Masculine Alliance Sports Club, and Cantino, an organizer with WNBGay, put the tournament together as a way to combat the exclusion they and other trans people have faced in sports.

  • The basketball tournament was held on Sunday, March 29, 2026, ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.
  • The International Olympic Committee agreed to a new policy banning transgender women athletes from women's events as of Thursday, March 26, 2026.

The players

Kienan Carpenter

Founder of the Trans Masculine Alliance Sports Club and organizer of the basketball tournament.

Mars Cantino

Organizer with WNBGay, a queer pickup basketball group, and co-organizer of the basketball tournament.

Gia

A player who competed in the basketball tournament.

Reene

A player who competed in the basketball tournament.

Talia Sprague

A photographer who captured images of the basketball tournament for the Chicago Sun-Times.

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What they’re saying

“We shouldn't have to sacrifice our identity to be included. If I can't play professionally, how can I make a space that's professional athletics for queer and trans people? So that's the goal, there's no limit, there's no 'I can't' — let me just make the space.”

— Kienan Carpenter, Founder, Trans Masculine Alliance Sports Club

“Basketball was always one of those things I felt gatekept out of, even in high school. I can go find a pickup game … and it's mostly fine, but there's always something, [like] getting called a slur. But I feel weird, out of my body a little bit.”

— Kari Kinne, Player, WNBGay

“[Overall], I thought organized sports was out the door.”

— Summer House, Player

“It grew tiresome fighting for a little spot at the table when we could create something better.”

— Mars Cantino, Organizer, WNBGay

What’s next

The organizers plan to continue hosting the basketball tournament annually as part of Transgender Day of Visibility celebrations in Chicago.

The takeaway

This tournament demonstrates the resilience and determination of the LGBTQ+ community to create inclusive spaces for trans athletes to participate in sports, even as they face increasing exclusion and discrimination at the highest levels of competition. By taking matters into their own hands, the organizers have provided a model for how to build community-driven athletic opportunities that celebrate diversity and reject the narrow confines of traditional sports.