The US state of Maryland’s Inclusive Athletic Attire Act, also known as House Bill 515, which came into legal effect on July 1, has elicited divergent reactions.
The law requires the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, governing bodies of public institutions of higher education, county education boards and community college trustee boards to allow student athletes to modify athletic, or team uniforms, to conform to their religious or cultural requirements, or preferences for modesty.
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Also under the law, modifications to athletic or team uniforms can include head coverings, undershirts or leggings worn for religious reasons.
Any uniform modifications must not interfere with the student athlete’s movement or pose safety hazards to themselves or others. The Bill also stipulates that uniform modifications must not “cover any part of the face, unless required for the safety of the wearer.”
Simran Jeet Singh, a Union Theological Seminary lecturer who studies religion, racism and justice, welcomes the law. He told CNN that “We had to make this really tough decision between our love for our faith or our love for sports.”
He recalled his own experience of fighting for inclusion as a turbaned Sikh college athlete, noting that growing up in Texas, his brothers were often denied the right to play college sports because of their turbans, a religious head covering worn by men of the Sikh religion.
In a press release issued by the Maryland office of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), director Zainab Chaudry said: “Our lawmakers have fundamentally leveled the playing field and improved the lives of thousands of children in our state.”
She added: “Maryland ranks among the worst states in America when it comes to juvenile justice … This progress is long overdue, and we thank the bill sponsors and every lawmaker who voted on the right side of history on these measures.”
