In 2016 the International Olympic committee ruled that transgender athletes can compete in the Olympics without undergoing sex reassignment surgery. In 2018 the International Association of Athletics Federations, track’s governing body, ruled that women who have more than 5 nano-mols per liter of testosterone in their blood—like South African sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya—must either compete against men, or take medication to reduce their natural testosterone levels. The IAAF stated that women in the five-plus category have a “difference of sexual…
Read moreAthletes should compete based on ability, not gender.
@9D7CSF99mos9MO
Say goodbye to Women's sports then.
@93V7YYR2yrs2Y
This depends on the sport.
All transgender atheletes should be required to compete in the male category, or a seperate trans category.
@8K2D9MC4yrs4Y
Transgender men have no biological advantage so there is no issue so they can compete but if a transgender female has been through male puberty she will always have an advantage even if her hormone levels are the same. It’s a case by case scenario for trans females. If she has not been through male puberty then I don’t see the issue.
Have their own division so it is much fairer on all parties involved
Yes, however only athletic events specifically for transgender athletes and according to rules to create a level playing field.
Weight, height, and muscle mass brackets should define who competes in which category
@8TBNC6G3yrs3Y
Yes. Sports should be separated based on physical categories, such as weight classes in wrestling, rather than sex or gender.
@8T3Z7LC3yrs3Y
No, not yet; the psysiological advantages of male puberty despite hormonal changes during transition, have yet to be shown to be sufficiently mitigated and thus, this represents an unfair advantage for trans women.
@9LQKWWG5 days5D
No, but they shouldn't have to compete based on there biological sex, there should be a 3 categories, Biological Female, Biological Male, and Other. A transgender athlete can then choose if they want to participate in their biological sex competition as well as 'Other' and athletes that identify as their assigned sex can choose to compete in the 'Other' category as well if they wish.
@9LQFM2P5 days5D
Biologically they’re at an unfair advantage. I don’t think there’s any way to make it fair unless you gave the trans community their own athletic leagues just for them.
@9LNCZFD1wk1W
No, the categories for which they compete should be overhauled to allow more inclusion rather than basing sports just on sex.
@9LLXM5N1wk1W
I think more research needs to be done into hormone levels and how we can fairly allow people to compete in terms of hormones rather than gender
@9LKDMCR2wks2W
This question is too broad. What classes as an athlete, and what level of competition are we discussing?
@9LG79JP2wks2W
Yes, obviously it's their choice. It would be much more accessible if sports was less gendered as a whole.
@9LFFCYN3wks3W
Yes, but only if it is in a sport in which there is not provable scientific advantage to being transgender and if their hormone levels are equivalent to those in the gender category in which they compete
Yes, and no one should be tested for their natural hormone levels as some cis-gendered female athletes have been barred from competing due to their natural testosterone levels.
@9L24JVS1mo1MO
Different sports governing bodies should be allowed to create their own rules for which athletes can compete in any given category.
@9L2423D1mo1MO
Yes, but sports shouldn’t be split by gender and should be split by muscle/body mass classifications
@9KM76832mos2MO
For some sports, if hormone levels are equivilant consistently for atleast 2 years. Very complicated issue.
@9JP4QMYLiberal Democrat3mos3MO
Yes, but only if the biological sex listed on their birth certificate doesn't give them a major advantage in the competition.
@9JDZ8Y73mos3MO
Yes, and athletic competition should be separated by categories that more directly correlate with athletic ability e.g. muscle mass, weight and height brackets
@9J9XNQJ3mos3MO
It depends on the sport in question, the age at which the person in question started medically transitioning. The issue is more complex than a yes or no.
Only if the attributes gained through their biological sex ( e.g. Stride length, height, muscle mass) does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to performance
@9J3PXNN3mos3MO
No, either athletes should compete based on the biological sex that is listed on their birth certificate, or there should be a third category
Please let the transgender athletes decide where they want to compete in (if they want to join with gender assigned to them at birth, the gender they identify with, or separate competition).
@9DXR5CD8mos8MO
Only in casual play or in designated multi-sex competition, allowing athletes to play against those of opposite sex (cisgender and transgender).
@9DXKP888mos8MO
Athletes should compete based on a system other than gender or sex since biology is inherently advantaged in some people regardless.
@9DX395Y8mos8MO
Sports should be segregated in non-gendered categories a la weight class in boxing, to ensure fairness as well as inclusivity.
Yes, but with the aim to remove gender from sports
@9DSSY4H8mos8MO
Has their own category, for competitive sports that could provide an advantage other the birth gender IE 100M sports, otherwise up to the organiser and sport
@9DMTKDD 8mos8MO
Yes but more accurate regulation is needed than "hormone levels", such as time spent on hormones, with scientific investigation into the amount of time it takes to become assimilated into each sex on a biological level.
@9DF5VQV8mos8MO
It depends on ability, choice and fairness
@9DCWFC28mos8MO
No. It should be more nuanced. More categories for competitors e.g. boxing.
@9D9DL479mos9MO
Place transgender athletes in competitive events according to relative strength
@9D8RNQJ9mos9MO
Yes, but only if their body / strength composition falls within the natural distribution of the gender, they do not have an advanage from transistioning and hormone levels are equivalent to those in the gender category in which they compete.
@9D7GRBK9mos9MO
It is a matter for each sport's governing body
Yes, only if it is an aerobic sport, or they transitioned before puberty
@9D5BVFH9mos9MO
No, they should form a section in the races for transgender athletes. Where they can compete amongst their peers.
@9D4XG2T 9mos9MO
Sport categories should be competed against my skill. e.g., swimmers should be categoried by strength, speed, etc
@9D355DL9mos9MO
No, there should be 2 separate categories for M2F and F2M transgender competition
@9BYTX6F12mos12MO
Yes, but remove gendered sports altogether. Athletes should compete based on skill level
@9BYNGMQ12mos12MO
Yes and no... I think sports shouldn't be separated by gender anymore. It should be based on ability.
@9BYJBY412mos12MO
The government should have no involvement in this social issue. Government regulation of social issues is generally a worse option than allowing society to adapt around the issue.
@96QKBVY2yrs2Y
Should be up to the sport's governing body
@96PTQ9V2yrs2Y
This should be left to sports governing bodies and scientists who specialise in this field and are educated on this delicate and important issue.
@96PRT5C2yrs2Y
Yes, but only if they are competing against athletes of a similar weight class or ability level.
@96PQZDG2yrs2Y
It should be up to the sporting bodies in question.
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