In sport, the trans must be given a chance

IN THIS Olympics season, I wasn’t surprised that the subject of transgender athletes came up in my recent online chat – specifically, trans women competing against those “born female”, as the writer described them. The issue: with new Olympic guidelines in place, do trans-women athletes have an unfair advantage?

Biologically, transgender females would tend to be taller, faster and stronger than those born female, particularly if they are not taking any hormones (although there is a spectrum of these strengths across both genders).

Indeed, there was a time when all this seemed pretty simple. We had men and women, boys and girls.

But we now know that gender is anything but simple.

Landmark change

This charged debate is timely because of a landmark rule change instituted by the International Olympic Committee this year.

In Rio, transgender men (female-to-male athletes) will be allowed to compete without any restrictions (based on the sexist assumption, I suppose, that trans men could never dominate their sports).

Trans women, meanwhile, are no longer required to undergo gender-reassignment surgery to compete in female divisions, and the previously mandated two-year wait after transitioning has been jettisoned.

To compete, a trans woman athlete must only declare her gender as “female” and have testosterone levels comparable to or below those of “cisgender” women (“cisgender” refers to a person whose biological sex matches his or her gender identity – the opposite of transgender).

These long-awaited changes are a big step forward in creating an equitable playing field, and they bring the IOC in line with the US’s National Collegiate Athletic Association, which invoked a similar policy for college athletes.

Still, I understand why this rule change is so controversial, especially for female athletes. In my mind, I first imagined a young Bruce Jenner, tall and muscular, competing as Caitlyn Jenner and snaring all the gold medals in the women’s events.

I imagined wrong, as it turns out, because I was unaware of the medical science behind the IOC decision.

And here’s why I had it wrong: the first-ever study of transgender athletes showed the hormone therapy that facilitates male-to-female transition did more than just suppress testosterone. The study showed that, as testosterone levels approached female norms, trans women experienced a decrease in muscle mass, bone density and other physical characteristics. After a year of hormone therapy, for example, female trans distance runners completely lost their speed advantage over cisgender women.

Okay, so science is science, but are the new rules fair? But what constitutes fair in sport?

“Every athlete, whether cisgender or transgender, has advantages and disadvantages,” said Cyd Zeigler, author of Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in Sports and a cofounder of Outsports.

Chris Mosier, the first out trans man to compete on the men’s US national team at the International Triathlon Union Duathlon World Championship in June, expanded on that: “People come in all shapes and sizes,” he said. “We don’t disqualify Michael Phelps for having super-long arms. That’s just a competitive advantage he has in his sport … For as long as sports have been around, there have been people who have had advantages over others. A universal level playing field does not exist.”

Still, the controversy and trans-shaming continue. Although there are well over 40 openly gay and lesbian athletes competing in the Summer Games, neither of the two reported trans athletes has come out publicly. Until anti-trans stigma is fully erased, they are eligible to compete, but, Mosier said, that doesn’t mean “everybody is ready to accept us”. Now I ask you: Is that fair? – The Washington Post