Last Monday, UW-Madison’s athletic body sent out a survey to club and intramural athletes that includes some questions considered to be transphobic. This survey, sent as part of an ongoing ten-university study conducted by a University of Indiana researcher, comes as the Wisconsin assembly passed bills last week limiting the rights of transgender young people in Wisconsin.
The University has said there was no relationship between the two, and maintained the survey doesn’t reflect UW-Madison’s values. The current university policy allows athletes to participate in gendered sports that align with their identity.
In this episode, co-producer Gavin Escott talks with The Daily Cardinal’s campus news editor Liam Beran about the study and its fallout among students. Read Beran’s reporting on the issue here.
Gavin Escott is a former campus news editor for the Daily Cardinal. He covered protests, breaking news and wrote in-depth on Wisconsin politics and higher education. He previously worked at WORT-FM and will be an intern at the Wisconsin State Journal in 2025. Follow him on X at @gav_escott.
Liam Beran is the former campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal and a third-year English major. He has written in-depth on higher-education issues and covered state news. He is a now a summer LGBTQ+ news fellow with The Nation. Follow him on Twitter at @liampberan.
