Transgender People Belong in Sports
As the Olympics dawned upon us once again, as it does every two years, one of the most prevalent topics this year was transgender athletes competing. I wasn’t surprised to see that nearly everyone had very strong opinions about this matter, ranging from stopping transgender individuals from competing all together, to allowing transgender athletes to compete in their desired gender category, regardless of any issues that may come with that. I wanted to have a discussion regarding this important topic, to provide you guys with some accurate information. I believe it is beyond time that the LGBTQ+ community is met with what they are asking for: representation, equality, and empathy.
In 2004, The International Olympic Committee first allowed transgender athletes to compete in the games, but only if they had undergone sexual reassignment surgery. None showed up. Revised International Olympic Committee guidelines in 2015 placed no restriction on athletes who transition from female to male. For male-to-female individuals, officials drew a line between the sexes: anyone that was wishing to compete as a woman had to register below a maximum testosterone level or, if above, had to take medication to alter their body chemistry. On that note, certain female athletes with naturally higher testosterone levels have also been questioned and prevented from competing. Though much of the scientific community believes testosterone is the primary reason for the performance gap between men and women in many sports, a portion remain skeptical about this matter. Scientists do note, though, that the hormone occurs in both men and women.
There are two main perspectives to look at this issue from: that transgender individuals may have an unfair advantage against their fellow competitors due to biological factors, or that transgender individuals deserve to compete within their respective genders regardless of any biological advantages or disadvantages these individuals may possess. It is important to note, though, that this is a very complex issue, and both sides make valid arguments.
From the perspective of the former viewpoint, there are a few main arguments that are made. One of them is that if say, a transgender woman was competing with cisgender women, they would have an unfair advantage due to the fact that males are generally stronger, taller, and faster than females. Another argument that is often presented is that though allowing transgender individuals to compete in their respective genders may seem like it’s allowing for fairness or equality, but that wouldn’t be fair or equal to the other individuals competing, as the transgender individual may have an advantage over the other competitors. From the perspective of the latter viewpoint, one of the main arguments is that transgender athletes shouldnt have to be “allowed” to compete in their designated gender. There is absolutely no discourse on whether cisgender athletes are “allowed” to compete there. Another argument that is presented is that not allowing transgender individuals to compete in their designated gender, or forcing them to compete in their opposite gender, shows complete disregard for their identity, and has the potential to cause a great deal of gender dysphoria.
Now clearly, these perspectives become very complicated and muddled quite easily. I think this brings up questioning whether our current system is the best way to categorize athletes. As transgender individuals become increasingly comfortable with coming out, and competing in sports as their own gender, as well as the idea of gender as a social contruct starting to be questioned more and more, it may be time to change this system. My takeaway from digging into this topic? Transgender people belong in sports. The complexity of this issue may call for different systems to categorize athletes to be put into place sooner than later. Maybe depending on testosterone level, height, weight, body fat percentage, etc. As a society, it is crucial that we take the necessary steps in order to ensure that members of the LGBTQ+ community are given the same opportunities as everyone else. By 2021, it’s far beyond time to show everyone in your community equality and empathy, and is what will move us forward as a better society.
Resources for trans individuals:
Additional help. National Center for Transgender Equality. (2019, April 23). https://transequality.org/additional-help.
American bar Association. (n.d.). https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/sexual_orientation/resources/transgenderrights/.
Transgender resources. GLAAD. (2020, November 11). https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources.
Sources:
NPR. (2021, August 10). IOC will Reconsider guidelines for Allowing Trans athletes to compete. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/10/1026322969/ioc-will-reconsider-guidelines-for-allowing-trans-athletes-to-compete.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, August 21). Transgender people in sports. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_people_in_sports#:~:text=Athletes%20who%20transitioned%20from%20female,2020%20Summer%20Olympics%20in%20weightlifting.
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