Thank you for writing this! You state the facts so perfectly for something I have been riling about for the past 24 hours. I recently wrote an op-ed about gender fluidity (Authentically US) and after working on it for almost a year, I left out the section about professional sports. Mostly because it's so nuanced and divisive. However, I think this part is particularly poignant at this moment (keeping in mind that SHE is not transgender).
"What is “fair” and what constitutes biological advantage in sports? I had the opportunity to hear Michael Phelps speak at a conference and my first thought was, that is one gangly dude. He has a wingspan that is three inches longer than his height (not “normal”), he has a very tall torso and shorter (by comparison) legs, and size 14 feet – built-in flippers if you will. The man was built for speed in the water.
He also, perhaps weirdly, produces half the lactic acid of the average swimmer allowing him to recover faster from exertion and be more resistant to fatigue. He is biologically about as close to a perfect specimen for swimming as we’ve ever seen. It’s a fair question to ask if he should be excluded from competition based on his winning ticket in the genetic lottery or that he swim only against other swimmers who have the same biological advantages. Is his inclusion in the sport “fair” to swimmers who compete against him?
Katie Ledecky’s holds all ten fastest 1500-metre times ever in freestyle. Her times would easily make the qualifying mark for the US men’s Olympic team. Should she be eligible to compete on the men’s team? Is banning her from that opportunity, based purely on her gender, “fair?” Is allowing her to continue to compete against women, based on her track (swim) record, “unfair” to her competitors? Lots of questions and ones that the competitive sports world will continue to argue moving forward. Suffice to say, “fair” is a damned hard qualifier to quantify and define.
But when these arguments applied at the community sports level and used to ban transgender participation (only on female sports teams – no such fervor surrounds participation of transgender youth on male sports teams), we have clearly missed the other fundamental values of youth participation in sports: Inclusion, participation, community-building, health, and wellbeing. And for what? According to Anna Skinner, writing in an April 2023 article in Newsweek, “of the estimated 332 million citizens living in the United States, 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender, equally half a percent and 1.4 percent of the population respectively… Not all transgender people identify as women, and an even small number consists of transgender women hoping to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.”
Based on those numbers, one could successfully argue that we are essentially hitting a fly with a baseball bat. The collateral damage to transgender youths in terms of mental health and wellbeing, feeling like a part of the community, and having their rights protected to “solve” a “problem” that by the numbers, simply isn't a problem. Competitive sports have always been about training opportunities, dedication, talent, socioeconomics, often geographical location, and that ever-present, roll of the genetic dice."
Excellent analysis. There was a minor tizzy in Texas (shocker, I know) about Mack Boggs, a trans man who was forced to wrestle in the girls division because of the rules of the high school sports governing body, which require you to participate according to the sex on your birth certificate. They couldn't ban his participation because there were no grounds to given, the mess they created for themselves. He won the state championship and went undefeated his junior and senior years, with a handful of forfeits along the way, but mostly by defeating tough opponents in the 110 pound weight class.
There are myths, bias, fears, and realities that clog the issue of transathletes,and even in special forces.
There are men that are born XY, but have female genetic markers, They are tagged as effiminate, they maybe gay or straight or asexual.
They are small boned, can't muscle out like other males, but yet have more stamina and pain resistance than macho males. Virtually devoid of body hair, can't even grow side burns much less an acceptable mustache and beard.
Then there are females with male markers, big boned, masculine looking, muscle out.
Females because of their low center of gravity make better fighter pilots and have quicker reflexes.
Because of the subcutaneous fat and tolerance for pain and cold, make better SEALS and underwater swimmers.
But most lack the musculature to hump 80 lb loads for miles, do a hundred sit ups and pushups and do butterfly kicks for 10 minutes. So the insecure males in special ops training have devised a PT test and training regimen that the average female can't pass.
When it comes to Olympic events, there are some that weigh heavily for the masculine frame and muscle, some that weigh heavily for the female, and some that are gender neutral (tennis, ping pong, skate boarding skiing, cross country, diving shooting come to mind.
In swimming, the advantage goes to height, (Phelps for example, shave two inches off him and he is no longer a gold medal star. Maybe the Olympics should have height restrictions or a a height class.
Why stop at gender, let's have height, weight and even race classes. Their are,though many would deny and take umbrage, with the fact that each race has it's own physical advantage and disadvantage.. The Masai for Jumping, Kenyans for running.
There are gender neutral sports in which tranpeople can and should be able to participate.
One thing about transwomen and men, ist hat in preparation for sexual reassignment surgery, they undergo hormone therapy, and hormones have an effect on the body. I had a friend, as a man she was tall, musculature, went on therapy, first to go was muscle mass, then fat. When you diet, you lose muscle mass before fat, then bone mass. A female on mall hormones gains muscle and bone mass if they exercise, voice deepens and they grow hair.
A post op transwoman, loses the source of testosterone and thus loses muscle and cone mass.
Transgender is a broad term that includes autogynephiliacs (like, IMO, Bruce/Caitlin Jenner), transvestites and transsexuals in transition as well as post operative.
I don't think a pre op Transsexual should compete in women's sports So long as there is such a thing as women and men's sports.
I've watched Britney Griner on TV, she looks and sounds like a man, and one would think she is a transsexual,. Her Russian guards sure thought she was. But the WNBA doesn't and that is just fine with me.
I am sticking my neck out here, believe me there is no bias involved. Just a personal observation based on science and personal knowledge
Thank you for writing this! You state the facts so perfectly for something I have been riling about for the past 24 hours. I recently wrote an op-ed about gender fluidity (Authentically US) and after working on it for almost a year, I left out the section about professional sports. Mostly because it's so nuanced and divisive. However, I think this part is particularly poignant at this moment (keeping in mind that SHE is not transgender).
"What is “fair” and what constitutes biological advantage in sports? I had the opportunity to hear Michael Phelps speak at a conference and my first thought was, that is one gangly dude. He has a wingspan that is three inches longer than his height (not “normal”), he has a very tall torso and shorter (by comparison) legs, and size 14 feet – built-in flippers if you will. The man was built for speed in the water.
He also, perhaps weirdly, produces half the lactic acid of the average swimmer allowing him to recover faster from exertion and be more resistant to fatigue. He is biologically about as close to a perfect specimen for swimming as we’ve ever seen. It’s a fair question to ask if he should be excluded from competition based on his winning ticket in the genetic lottery or that he swim only against other swimmers who have the same biological advantages. Is his inclusion in the sport “fair” to swimmers who compete against him?
Katie Ledecky’s holds all ten fastest 1500-metre times ever in freestyle. Her times would easily make the qualifying mark for the US men’s Olympic team. Should she be eligible to compete on the men’s team? Is banning her from that opportunity, based purely on her gender, “fair?” Is allowing her to continue to compete against women, based on her track (swim) record, “unfair” to her competitors? Lots of questions and ones that the competitive sports world will continue to argue moving forward. Suffice to say, “fair” is a damned hard qualifier to quantify and define.
But when these arguments applied at the community sports level and used to ban transgender participation (only on female sports teams – no such fervor surrounds participation of transgender youth on male sports teams), we have clearly missed the other fundamental values of youth participation in sports: Inclusion, participation, community-building, health, and wellbeing. And for what? According to Anna Skinner, writing in an April 2023 article in Newsweek, “of the estimated 332 million citizens living in the United States, 1.3 million adults and 300,000 youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender, equally half a percent and 1.4 percent of the population respectively… Not all transgender people identify as women, and an even small number consists of transgender women hoping to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.”
Based on those numbers, one could successfully argue that we are essentially hitting a fly with a baseball bat. The collateral damage to transgender youths in terms of mental health and wellbeing, feeling like a part of the community, and having their rights protected to “solve” a “problem” that by the numbers, simply isn't a problem. Competitive sports have always been about training opportunities, dedication, talent, socioeconomics, often geographical location, and that ever-present, roll of the genetic dice."
https://open.substack.com/pub/danismart/p/authentically-us?r=1c5095&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Excellent analysis. There was a minor tizzy in Texas (shocker, I know) about Mack Boggs, a trans man who was forced to wrestle in the girls division because of the rules of the high school sports governing body, which require you to participate according to the sex on your birth certificate. They couldn't ban his participation because there were no grounds to given, the mess they created for themselves. He won the state championship and went undefeated his junior and senior years, with a handful of forfeits along the way, but mostly by defeating tough opponents in the 110 pound weight class.
I wish the mainstream media would report like this. Thank you.
They won't, but thank goodness we have Substack and all these great writers.
Thanks for the information and setting the record straight.
Thank you Charlotte. Perfect.
There are myths, bias, fears, and realities that clog the issue of transathletes,and even in special forces.
There are men that are born XY, but have female genetic markers, They are tagged as effiminate, they maybe gay or straight or asexual.
They are small boned, can't muscle out like other males, but yet have more stamina and pain resistance than macho males. Virtually devoid of body hair, can't even grow side burns much less an acceptable mustache and beard.
Then there are females with male markers, big boned, masculine looking, muscle out.
Females because of their low center of gravity make better fighter pilots and have quicker reflexes.
Because of the subcutaneous fat and tolerance for pain and cold, make better SEALS and underwater swimmers.
But most lack the musculature to hump 80 lb loads for miles, do a hundred sit ups and pushups and do butterfly kicks for 10 minutes. So the insecure males in special ops training have devised a PT test and training regimen that the average female can't pass.
When it comes to Olympic events, there are some that weigh heavily for the masculine frame and muscle, some that weigh heavily for the female, and some that are gender neutral (tennis, ping pong, skate boarding skiing, cross country, diving shooting come to mind.
In swimming, the advantage goes to height, (Phelps for example, shave two inches off him and he is no longer a gold medal star. Maybe the Olympics should have height restrictions or a a height class.
Why stop at gender, let's have height, weight and even race classes. Their are,though many would deny and take umbrage, with the fact that each race has it's own physical advantage and disadvantage.. The Masai for Jumping, Kenyans for running.
There are gender neutral sports in which tranpeople can and should be able to participate.
One thing about transwomen and men, ist hat in preparation for sexual reassignment surgery, they undergo hormone therapy, and hormones have an effect on the body. I had a friend, as a man she was tall, musculature, went on therapy, first to go was muscle mass, then fat. When you diet, you lose muscle mass before fat, then bone mass. A female on mall hormones gains muscle and bone mass if they exercise, voice deepens and they grow hair.
A post op transwoman, loses the source of testosterone and thus loses muscle and cone mass.
Transgender is a broad term that includes autogynephiliacs (like, IMO, Bruce/Caitlin Jenner), transvestites and transsexuals in transition as well as post operative.
I don't think a pre op Transsexual should compete in women's sports So long as there is such a thing as women and men's sports.
I've watched Britney Griner on TV, she looks and sounds like a man, and one would think she is a transsexual,. Her Russian guards sure thought she was. But the WNBA doesn't and that is just fine with me.
I am sticking my neck out here, believe me there is no bias involved. Just a personal observation based on science and personal knowledge
Charlotte, would you add an additional way to make a contribution? The coffee one is a little tricky for me.
Thank you!