Transgender Women in Sports: Is the Threat Real?

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Transgender Participation: Bias, Politics, and Dreams
Arguments for Transgender People in Women’s Sports
Conclusion
References
Reflection

Introduction

The governor of Iowa has signed a bill that bans transgender people from competing in high school and college women’s competitions. Children can now only compete according to the sex on a young athlete’s birth certificate, regardless of their gender identity or hormone therapy. The issue of transgender people in women’s sports continues to be relevant and controversial. The problem is political, ideological, and, above all, biological because any discussion about the differences between women and men must be solved from a physical point of view (Harper, O’Donnell, Khorashad, McDermott, & Witcomb, 2021). The biological advantages of transgender women are the same as those of men, and allowing them into women’s sports poses a significant threat. In this regard, it can be argued that the advantages of transgender women are a barrier to women’s sports.

Transgender Participation: Bias, Politics, and Dreams

Sharp political and open public confrontations are always the product of changing mindsets and redefining reference points. They are judged differently in Europe and America and even within the state. However, the topic of transgender people has received the most discussion in the last few years – primarily because more and more transgender people find themselves in women’s sports (Harper et al., 2021). To explain why “former” men participate in women’s sports, we need to look at the IOC rules.

In 2003 the IOC set the rules for transgender athletes: surgery, hormone therapy, and a legal transition are required. Since 2004, transgender athletes have been able to compete at the Games (Prasad, 2020). Since then, people such as Laurel Hubbard have shocked the public and received recognition and worldwide condemnation (Shrier, 2020). In the U.S., it is possible to change sex without parental consent beginning at age 13, and teenagers in various stages of “transition” are seen regularly (Hilton & Lundberg, 2021). This is alarming for female athletes who were born as girls: in cases where a transgender person has managed to go through male puberty and is a woman with a male body.

A group of medical experts criticized the IOC’s stance on transgender athletes, saying that the IOC focuses on inclusiveness while ignoring science. Their position paper was published in the British Medical Journal Open Sport & Exercise Medicine (Ingle, 2022). In the document, scientists affiliated with the International European Medical Association warn that the IOC’s new concept of transgender athletes could lead to unfair competition in women’s sports.

Now that it has become clear how pervasive the problem of transgender women in women’s sports is, one should see if there are biological advantages. There is no doubt that they exist: even in IOC policy, testosterone levels of 10 nanomoles/liter for transwomen are equivalent to an average maximum in female athletes of 2 nanomoles/liter (Hilton & Lundberg, 2021). High testosterone levels allow the respiratory system to develop by correlating with hemoglobin – hence lung volume, blood transport rate, and red blood cell count will be higher (Harper et al., 2021). Hilton and Lundberg’ (2021) study labels this as a clear advantage in strength and endurance: for long-distance running and 800-1500 meter marathons, even 7-9 nanomoles/liter would be an advantage. Consequently, testosterone levels are an important factor in sports, and one cannot turn a blind eye to the differences.

Even if transgender women have lower testosterone levels, it is not the same as cisgender women. It should be understood that the same hormone affects the male and female bodies differently (Hilton & Lundberg, 2021). In women, it is tuned to regulate the menstrual cycle, bone growth, and the development of the nervous system. In men, testosterone has a more substantial effect on muscle mass growth (Roberts, Smalley, & Ahrendt, 2021). Shrier (2020) confirms that even at the level of school competitions, this is noticeable – what can one then say about professional sports? Consequently, the biological advantages of transgender women are obvious and unambiguous, and it is impossible to talk about such things as transphobia and pointless to blame women’s rights defenders.

The presence of transgender women in women’s sports is not only a biological question but also a social one. It refers to how this phenomenon is perceived by children and teenagers who dream about big sports. Shrier (2020) argues that for teenage girls, due to the rise of transgender people, there are no opportunities for athletic scholarships at colleges and universities. This leads to destabilization and derealization among girls, destroys their dreams, and takes away their desire to play sports. However, the researcher points out that transgender people are not the problem, but separate quotas should be created, rather than a complete substitution for girls and women.

Arguments for Transgender People in Women’s Sports

The involvement of transgender athletes in women’s sports raises difficult questions about bioethics, human rights, science, fairness, and identity. No one has unequivocal answers to these questions yet, but fears and hasty conclusions abound. To avoid the latter, it is worth understanding the arguments of transgender supporters. The theory of androgyny in sports is the main argument of transgender supporters in women’s sports (Prasad, 2020). Sport promotes qualities common to men and women, balancing them in rights; it emphasizes that the athlete has no gender.

This theory looks successful only at first glance, and no studies confirm its advantage at the moment. Loud headlines about transgender rights in women’s sports always occupy the front page of newspapers because they are often written by people incapable of empathy. Prasad (2020) discusses that no man wants to pretend to be a woman to take a woman’s place in any social structure. However, there are many rebuttals: rapists do it and move to women’s prisons, failed men move to women’s sports (Hubbard), and transwomen basketball players are three heads above their female rivals. Nowadays, to appeal to the fact that women are afraid of ex-cis men taking over their social bed is sexist because it again blames the victim for her fears and behavior (Shrier, 2020). It is an unfair confrontation, and using traditional techniques with pity pressure is wrong.

Another side of the conflict is creating a separate sports category for transgender people. However, from the transgender people themselves, this is perceived as an insult because they are excluded from cisgender society. According to research, separate spaces will not be a forced discriminatory separation because they aim to create unique conditions for development (Roberts et al., 2021). Although it is perceived as transphobic, in reality, people do not realize why they continue to take advantage of gender in inappropriate situations. Shrier (2020) notes that this behavior is purely biological, and it is transgender women who allow themselves too much. Thus, the apparent danger in the actions of transgender persons exists and needs to be studied.

Conclusion

Thus, the advantages of transgender women in women’s sports are undeniable. They are expressed in biological characteristics, which are a priori superior to those of cisgender women. These advantages preserve privileges and prevent girls from realizing their dreams in big sports. Proponents of transpeople in women’s sports believe that no man will become a woman to win. However, data show that there is a proven link that hurts women.

References

Ingle, S. (2022). IOC’s new transgender guidance criticised as unfair towards female sport. Web.

Harper, J., O’Donnell, E., Khorashad, B.S., McDermott, H., & Witcomb, G. (2021). How does hormone transition in transgender women change body composition, muscle strength and haemoglobin? Systematic review with a focus on the implications for sport participation. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55, 865-872.

Hilton, E. N., & Lundberg, T. R. (2021). Transgender women in the female category of sport: Perspectives on testosterone suppression and performance advantage. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 51(2), 199–214.

Prasad, P. (2020). All the arguments you need: To prove it’s fair for trans, intersex athletes to compete in consistence with their gender identity. Web.

Roberts, T.A., Smalley, J., & Ahrendt, D. (2021). Effect of gender affirming hormones on athletic performance in transwomen and transmen: implications for sporting organisations and legislators. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55, 577-583.

Shrier, A. (2020). The transgender threat to women’s sports: Opinion. Web.

Reflection

When I first started diving into this topic, I was skeptical of the subject and had not fully developed an opinion. At first, it seemed that women already had many rights, including opportunities in big sports; but the new interpretation of fairness and equality was away from equality. It surprised me how many people were concerned about transgender participation in women’s sports. As I delved into this issue, I found that sexism continues to exist.

I am proud of how much information I could find from a scientific perspective. I saw many articles and headlines in magazines and blogs, but I missed biological and sociological research. However, I have noticed that there is much more than the public thinks in the process. I hope that I will be able to increase the amount of scientific data in future essays and cover more research. I want to improve the tone in which I will present the material and make it as grounded as possible.

The hardest part for me was writing objectively and not relying on other people’s opinions, which are not scientific. I focused on the biological and social advantages of transhumans, but I often wanted to get away with notions of justice. In future essays, I plan to work on my objectivity and impartiality to be able to dialogue with the reader in a calm tone without coercion. I think rational persuasion is an excellent way to get my point across. I want to expand my research database and delve into a historical understanding of the problem to achieve this goal.

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