There is this constant argument of “unfairness” when it comes to allowing transgender girls and women to participate in sports teams that match their gender identity.
However, I think the same side that argues transgender people bring about this “unfairness” disregard the dangers and harm their uneducated argument has on the transgender community.
Lia Catherine Thomas, a former University of Pennsylvania competitive swimmer, for instance, sparked controversy for being the first transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I national championship in March 2022. Critics who targeted her argued the trophy was stolen from the cisgender women who competed in the competition, claiming that her biological sex provided an unfair advantage. However, her performance during her time on the women’s team was not so different from when she had previously competed in the men’s category.
The people who argue that transgender athletes have a significant advantage over athletes who identify with their assigned gender at birth forget that different factors contribute to wins. Hormone balances, muscle mass, and strength differs from person to person. Athleticism and luck also play a big role in an athlete’s performance.
Determining that someone will perform better in a competition solely based on their biological sex and physiology ignores the fact that it takes years of training to become successful.
This is why so many transphobic bans are being enacted: to promote the false narrative that transgender women have a clear advantage over cisgender women.
Another argument brought up by those who oppose transgender women playing in women’s sports is that their participation will only hurt cisgender women. Yet, this only causes more policing of women’s bodies, especially cisgender women. Allowing officials and lawmakers to enact restrictions in women’s sports will only allow for gender policing and invasive tests that work to determine whether someone is too “masculine.”
This type of policing stems from the racism and stereotype that some minority groups, such as Black women, are inherently more “manly” than women of other races. Just take a look at what happened with Serena Williams, who was constantly body shamed by the media for her physique and mocked by other players for it.
In the case of the transgender ban implemented by World Athletics, this also barred some cisgender women, such as Caster Semenya, a South African middle-distance runner and two-time Olympic gold medalist, from participating in certain races.
This policing in sports does nothing but enforce the binary, ignore the existence of gender non-conforming people and those who are intersex, and poses a threat to women and minorities who are deemed not “feminine” enough.
I believe these attacks on transgender girls and women are used to disregard the discrimination and violence they continue to face.
On top of this, those who claim to be “protecting women’s sports” do not work to stop the sexual harassment and abuse within women’s sports teams and to close the gender pay gap. Trans athletes make up a very small percentage of the total number of student and professional athletes, so why come after a vulnerable group while ignoring an already vulnerable one?
