Maryland law allows religious head coverings, garments in school sports

A Maryland law now guarantees that student-athletes in the state will not have to choose between their faith and their passion for sports competition.

House Bill 515, also known as the Inclusive Athletic Attire Act, went into effect July 1 and requires bodies governing high school and college sports in Maryland to allow student athletes to modify athletic, or team uniforms, to conform to their religious or cultural requirements, or preferences for modesty.

The bill was praised by Muslims and Sikhs, whose religions require certain garments and coverings. 

"Our lawmakers have fundamentally leveled the playing field and improved the lives of thousands of children in our state,” said Zainab Caudry, director of the Council on American Islamic Relations’ Maryland office, in a statement.

"I am so heartened to see that a state in the United States, Maryland, [is] no longer going to bar people from playing the sports they love because of how they look," Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director for the Aspen Institute's Religion & Society Program, told CNN Sports.

"I think that's what I really believe in sports. You're supposed to bring people together, not divide them."

Singh recalled how he and his brothers were often denied the right to play in school sports growing up in Texas because of their turbans, which is required of all Sikh men. To play high school soccer, he petitioned the United States Soccer Federation and was granted a letter that stated he could maintain his religious attired while playing, which he presented at every game.  

The Maryland legislation has specific requirements of any head coverings, undershirts, leggings or other uniform modifications. Any additions must be black, white or match the uniform worn by the rest of the team. Modifications must not interfere with the athlete's movement, pose a safety hazard and cannot cover the face. 

Recent incidents have been the impetus for laws like House Bill 515 the U.S. One of the Maryland bill’s main supporters was Je’Nan Hays, a Muslim high school basketball player benched at her 2017 regional final because of her headscarf – despite playing in every regular season game.

Ohio and Illinois also signed similar bills into law recently. High school sports associations have begun following suit, with the list of sports where athletes no longer need prior approval to wear religious attire now includes track and field, volleyball, soccer, field hockey, spirit and softball.

High school swimmers and divers will also be able to wear suits that provide full body coverage for religious reasons without prior authorization, according to CNN.

But Singh understands that permission to play does not guarantee acceptance. His younger brother, Darsh Preet Singh, was harassed online after becoming the first turbaned Sikh American to play top-tier college basketball.