How Do You Vote When Everything Matters?

As I have been inundated with televised political ads recently, I couldn’t help but notice how the concern over transgenderism and particularly its impact on sports is often front and center. [1] I have seen these ads so often that I decided to do a little research, because I am curious how many people are directly impacted by this.

It turns out that no transgender girls have requested a waiver to participate in Michigan girls' high school sports for the fall 2026 season. (Figures tracking winter or spring requests for the 2026–2027 school year have not yet been logged or finalized.) Transgender boys do not need a waiver, and I cannot find a source that tracks their numbers.[2]

MHSAA approved waivers for one student during the 2025-26 school year and two students during the 2024-25 school year. Since the waiver policy was established in the 2013-14 school year, only 10 transgender girls in total have ever received waivers to compete in Michigan high school sports.[3]

Considering how much I have seen this highlighted, I confess I was surprised to find out that the numbers were so small, and that no transgender girls are competing yet in a year when political ads are highlighting the issue.[4]

This got me thinking about all the other issues that also demand our attention if we are considering how to prioritize issues that impact our kids.[5] Whether we are considering physical, emotional or mental welfare, there are many areas of life that impact the well-being of our kids.