Article Summary
The article describes the situation surrounding the uncertain status of transgender and transsexual athletes in the U.S. and international sports. Focusing on the track athletes Andraya Yearwood, Terry Miller, and Chelsea Mitchell, it explains the contested legislation over the matter, as well as issues of fairness and exclusion. Whether trans athletes should be able to compete based on their gender identity rather than their assigned sex is a complex question. The primary arguments forwarded for this inclusion are ethical; however, opponents cite biological issues that undermine the fairness of competitions between cis and trans athletes (Barnes).
My Opinion
While I see no issue with the ethical side of the matter, the biological objections cannot be ignored. Barnes presents them as a complex and multifaceted question with no obvious answer. Studies show that one’s biological sex presents a physical advantage (Barnes). This advantage can be reduced by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), depending on when it started and how long it lasted; however, this reduction is currently not sufficiently measured (Barnes). The advantage can have a negative effect on athletes competing as their birth sex as they may perceive the competition as fundamentally unfair, thus losing the desire to compete. Such a situation can lead to more potential athletes being excluded from competing than included by allowing competition based on one’s gender identity.
Ultimately, I think that, unfortunately, biology currently makes it impossible to achieve fair physical competition between athletes based on their gender identity. Fairness in the eyes of the spectators and participants is what makes a competition engaging. Therefore, until a way to eliminate the fundamental differences in muscle mass and composition is developed, allowing trans athletes to compete with their non-trans peers should at least be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Work Cited
Barnes, Katie.”The Battle over Title Ix And Who Gets to Be a Woman in Sports: Inside the Raging National Debate.” ESPN, Web.