Let’s start a little earlier this year…
In February 2020 in Connecticut, families of three cisgender girls filed a lawsuit against the Connecticut Association of Schools, along with several boards of education in the state. They felt that letting trans girls compete alongside cis girls gave them an unfair advantage in high school track leagues. In their opinion, trans girls should compete alongside boys in sports. Both Attorney General Merrick Garland and state legislators around the country are now considering passing anti-trans bills to prohibit trans girls from competing on women’s teams.
A History
Transgender inclusivity in athletics and policies promoting them have existed for a couple decades now. The Olympics have had trans-inclusive policies since 2004, and California passed a law in 2013 allowing trans youth to compete on the teams that correspond with their real gender identities. The fact that they’re only being brought up now is blatant transphobia and an attack on women’s bodies.
Trans women do not dominate women’s sports.
The misconception that trans women have an bodily advantage over cis women is statistically untrue. One of the Connecticut girls filing a lawsuit actually beat one of the trans girls in a track event a few weeks prior. Trans girls competing on the same teams as cis girls don’t hinder cis girls from winning, in fact the overwhelming majority of achievements in women’s sports are displayed by cis women. Seldom does anyone hear about a trans woman succeeding in athletics. In the Olympics, not a single openly transgender athlete has qualified yet.
Misogynistic Notions
The base belief of trans-exclusionary teams relies on the idea that having elevated levels of testosterone in your body causes physical changes such as an increase in muscle mass, and this is an enhancing chemical which gives you more athletic prowess. In a way, conservatives are actually being sexist by suggesting men’s sports somehow require more strength, or that men’s sports are the real deal. By suggesting trans women are on the same level as men because of increased testosterone, we assume that men’s sports are a promotion of some kind, and oestrogen renders you “weak”.
Furthermore, plenty of other cis women have naturally high levels of testosterone in their body. Body diversity is real, and cis women have differences in hormone levels. Around 10% of women have polycystic ovary syndrome, and many cis women are also intersex. They aren’t banned, but trans girls on puberty blockers with reduced testosterone levels are.
Let Them Compete
Trans youth, especially trans girls, go through enough bullying, anxiety, and mental illnesses already. Transphobic policies further endanger them and ruin their life. Cisgender people need to stop excluding trans people at every opportunity and let them compete with the same dignity that they’re allowed to.
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