According to a survey conducted by Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company in May 2023, approximately 69 percent of Americans now say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender (Lavietes, 2023). That means nearly 70% of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing in sports that conform to their gender identity. This statistic may cause concerns that even though many countries have been committed to protecting the rights of diverse gender groups, there is still dissent regarding allowing the participation of transgender women in sports. The most common debate is that transgender women have the physical strength which could provide them with a competitive edge, potentially influencing the outcomes of sporting events. In spite of that, transgender women should be allowed to participate in competitive athletics based on some legitimate reasons.
First, transgender women have the same right to compete as cisgender women as long as the fairness of the competition can be guaranteed. A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is inconsistent or not culturally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. On the other hand, cisgender people have a gender identity that corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. From the perspective of transgender people, their body autonomy and equality rights should be protected. Body autonomy right means that whatever gender identity people choose should be understood and respected based on International human rights law, which ensures Human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a framework that acknowledges the need to ensure everyone, whatever their gender identity or sex variations is, can compete in a safe, harassment-free environment that recognizes and respects their needs and identities (IOC, 2021). The guidelines in the framework could be seen as both easing restrictions on transgender and the reasons to support their participation in competitions. This framework gives each sport clearer guidance to enact fair and inclusive rules. Hence, based on human rights the IOC framework, transgender women have the right and legitimacy to participate like any other person in sports events.
Moreover, not approving transgender athletes on the sports field would further lead to their mental health being affected by the discrimination and public pressure. For transgender athletes, having the right to attend competitions just like everyone else does also means that they are being officially accepted by the general public. As a matter of fact, sporting events are not only about sports; they also include a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement, and socializing for the athletes. For example, Laurel Hubbard (Hubbard, 2017), the first openly male-to-female transgender weightlifter to compete in the Olympic Games, explained that the reason why she decided to quit weightlifting at the age of 23 (she transitioned at 34) was due to the pressure of not fitting in the world of men’s sport . In this case, we can easily conclude that what matters for an athlete is not only their performance but also their state of mind. Besides, transgender people are prone to mental health problems generally. As stated by a survey published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 78% of gender minority students have at least one mental health problem, which is 4.3 times higher than cisgender students (Lipson, 2019). Especially when having an identity as a transgender athlete, the situation becomes tougher as a consequence of being in the spotlight and facing the pressure of public opinions. That is, not accepting transgender people as qualified athletes could possibly make their mental health problems deteriorate. In summary, it is crucial to acknowledge and support transgender athletes in sports in order to safeguard their mental well-being in the face of discrimination and societal pressure.
Some may argue that trans women should only be eligible to compete in the women’s categories if they transition before the age of 12 since they can possibly retain a significant advantage over cisgender women even after reducing their testosterone levels through medication. In other words, many who oppose the inclusion of trans athletes claim that transgender women will lower the chances for cisgender women to win. For instance, James Pearce (Pearce, 2022), who is the spokesperson for Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press, “It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair.” However, this is not true. Testosterone levels can be adjusted through hormone therapy, further affecting the athletic performance of trans women. According to a survey that compared pre- and post-hormone fitness test results of the transwomen and non-transgender women in United States Air Force (USAF), the former ran 21% faster prior to gender affirming hormones and became only 9% faster after the 1-year period of testosterone suppression that is recommended by World Athletics for inclusion in women’s events. Additionally, gender would not be the only contributing factor in athletic performances, and transgender participants have not quite been the majority of wins so far. Veronica Ivy, a transgender athlete rights activist and track cycling world champion, stated that despite the fact that transgender women have been allowed to compete for decades, no one has ever won a world champion or been a world record holder. There has never even been a trans woman being qualified for the Olympics until Tokyo 2020. To be detailed, the transgender rules announced by the Olympic Committee were modified drastically in 2015. From then on, transgender athletes no longer need to undergo gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatment for at least two years; in fact, they now only have to pass the blood test of the testosterone concentration being less than 10 nanomolar and declare their gender identity for more than four years. Whether it was before or after the revision, the Olympic arena was still dominated by cisgender people, and very few transgender people had excellent grades. As a result, the idea of trans women having absolute advantage is irrational and illogical.
Based on the reasons above, transgender women should be allowed to participate in sports events the same as other cisgender women. From the human rights perspective and the IOC framework, transgender athletes both have the right and adequate legitimacy to participate in sports events just like normal people. Also, everyone should face up to the problem of athlete mental issues. The contemporary society is supposed to protect transgender athletes’ self-identity and keep them from discrimination. According to scientific evidence, transgender athletes’ testosterone levels could be adjusted by hormone therapy to an average level similar to normal people. In this case, there are no more significant advantages for transgender athletes. Protecting transgender people’s rights does not make them better than cisgender people or give them additional advantages, but makes the environment more appropriate for everyone.
References
Lavietes, M. (2023). Most Americans oppose including trans athletes in sports. NBC News.
IOC. (2021). Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations. IOC News.
Lipson, S. K., Raifman, J., Abelson, S., & Reisner, S. L. (2019). Gender minority mental health in the US: Results of a national survey on college campuses. American journal of preventive medicine, 57(3), 293-301.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379719302193
RNZ. (2017, December 8). Laurel Hubbard: I have to block out the criticism. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JYerP_Ysts
Kelleher, J. S. (2022, June 23). World Swimming Bans Transgender Athletes from Women’s Events. Associated Press News. https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7
Veronica Ivy - Trans Women in Women’s Sports | The Daily Show. (2023, July 1). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fb48tivB-0
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(11), 577-583. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/11/577.abstract