On Transgender Day of Visibility, the focus at the Brooklyn Community Pride Center isn’t just on being seen, it’s whether there’s a place to play.

What You Need To Know

Trans-centered sports programs started about three years ago, drawing more than a thousand trans people to Brooklyn

Organizers say players come from across the city and beyond, some traveling long distances just to be part of it

All of this unfolding as the broader conversation around transgender athletes becomes more divided

“I really wanted to play football with my friends in a safe space and not feel weird about it,” Tranfl NYC founder Venus Webber said.

That feeling of not belonging led Webber to start the trans flag football league just this month.

It’s one of several leagues now growing out of the Brooklyn Community Pride Center.

“For this, I feel like we are creating a new space for folks to interact with sports where they’re interacting with people with shared experiences as them,” Webber said.

The sports programs started approximately three years ago, drawing more than a thousand trans people to Brooklyn.

Organizers say players come from across the city and beyond, some traveling long distances just to be part of it.

“So much of trans culture here in New York is centered around nightlife — be it parties, ballroom, all these different things,” Devin Meyers, the founder of Basketdolls, said.

Basketdolls, a trans-led basketball group, is one of those spaces where the game is the draw, but community is the point.

“We’ve received nothing but positive reception from the local people we play in the parks with,” Meyers said.

All of this unfolding as the broader conversation around transgender athletes becomes more divided.

The Human Rights Campaign says more than 20 states have passed laws restricting transgender athletes in school sports in recent years.

Supporters call it fairness, but advocates say it limits access.

“Even LGBTQ programs in sports spaces can be not very welcoming of trans people,” Kenrick Ross, the executive director of Brooklyn Community Pride Center, said.

Ross says this is why here, the focus isn’t on policy, it’s on building something of their own.

“Ultimately, this is what community building is. It’s creating more and more spaces. It’s ensuring there’s greater access. It’s making sure that what we’re building for Brooklyn is truly inclusive,” Ross said.

All programs are inclusive, though the center says some ensure trans people are centered.