Part Two
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\nBy: Karolyn<\/strong><\/p>\n18 April 2023<\/b><\/p>\n
Sexed bodies and sport<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nIn Part One I focused on trans identified males<\/a> (AKA transwomen) sometimes being restricted to male or open sports categories. However, the current reality internationally is that transwomen are competing at all levels from high school<\/a> (1) and college sports competitions, all the way up to the Olympics<\/a> (2). This is resulting in lack of fairness, inclusion, and safety for female participants.<\/p>\nTranswomen are competing in female sporting competitions most visibly at elite levels, in far greater numbers than transmen in male competitions. Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the IOC allowed transwomen with a much higher level of testosterone<\/a> (3) than the average female competitor to participate in the women\u2019s category, it\u2019s uncertain how many males have competed against women<\/a>. (4)<\/p>\nIt is surprising that transwomen have been the main focus of transactivist lobbying for their inclusion in female sports, when it is fair treatment for trans identified females (transmen), and some people with Difference\/Variations of Sex Development (DSDs) that really is the difficult issue. This is glaring evidence of yet another form of sex-based inequality.<\/p>\n
A transman who takes exogenous testosterone (T) can be ineligible for competing in the female category because of the advantages this will give them over other females.\u00a0 In male sports a female, even taking chemical T, will not have the natural advantages that male puberty provides long term Either a trans identified female needs to forego taking T, as do some transmen who participate in women\u2019s sports at an elite level, or compete in male sports. This also applies to non-binary identified females if they want to take a significant amount of T to create a more androgynous look.<\/p>\n
Individuals with DSDs (AKA \u2018Intersex\u2019 conditions), who have high levels of natural testosterone, have faced opposition when competing in women\u2019s elite sports, as has been the situation with Caster Semenya<\/a>. (6) In all but an extreme minority of people with DSDs, they have either a male or female<\/a> (5) reproductive system that developed atypically. They may have some physical characteristics of the opposite sex, but they do not have both a male and female reproductive system in one body. On very, very rare occasions individuals are found whose sex cannot be objectively identified, but they are not a third sex.<\/p>\nPeople with DSDs such as Caster Semenya, are likely males with internal testes.\u00a0 They may have a medical condition such as Partial Androgen Insensitivity, where the androgen receptors only partially respond to naturally produced testosterone. Some may have ambiguous looking genitalia at birth and be categorised as female.\u00a0 However, they have a much higher level of naturally occurring testosterone than females. Caster was born and raised as a female in a poor, black community in South Africa, where her DSD condition was not picked up until tested at international competitions.\u00a0 These days, in wealthier communities and countries, such conditions are usually diagnosed earlier in life.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong> [av_hr class=’invisible’ icon_select=’yes’ icon=’ue808′ font=’entypo-fontello’ position=’center’ shadow=’no-shadow’ height=’20’ custom_border=’av-border-thin’ custom_width=’50px’ custom_margin_top=’30px’ custom_margin_bottom=’30px’ custom_border_color=” custom_icon_color=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-90pn1p’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”]<\/p>\n [av_textblock size=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” font_color=” color=” id=” custom_class=” template_class=” av_uid=’av-lglit6ld’ sc_version=’1.0′ admin_preview_bg=”] 18 April 2023<\/b><\/p>\n Sexed bodies and sport<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n In Part One I focused on trans identified males<\/a> (AKA transwomen) sometimes being restricted to male or open sports categories. However, the current reality internationally is that transwomen are competing at all levels from high school<\/a> (1) and college sports competitions, all the way up to the Olympics<\/a> (2). This is resulting in lack of fairness, inclusion, and safety for female participants.<\/p>\n Transwomen are competing in female sporting competitions most visibly at elite levels, in far greater numbers than transmen in male competitions. Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the IOC allowed transwomen with a much higher level of testosterone<\/a> (3) than the average female competitor to participate in the women\u2019s category, it\u2019s uncertain how many males have competed against women<\/a>. (4)<\/p>\n It is surprising that transwomen have been the main focus of transactivist lobbying for their inclusion in female sports, when it is fair treatment for trans identified females (transmen), and some people with Difference\/Variations of Sex Development (DSDs) that really is the difficult issue. This is glaring evidence of yet another form of sex-based inequality.<\/p>\n A transman who takes exogenous testosterone (T) can be ineligible for competing in the female category because of the advantages this will give them over other females.\u00a0 In male sports a female, even taking chemical T, will not have the natural advantages that male puberty provides long term Either a trans identified female needs to forego taking T, as do some transmen who participate in women\u2019s sports at an elite level, or compete in male sports. This also applies to non-binary identified females if they want to take a significant amount of T to create a more androgynous look.<\/p>\n Individuals with DSDs (AKA \u2018Intersex\u2019 conditions), who have high levels of natural testosterone, have faced opposition when competing in women\u2019s elite sports, as has been the situation with Caster Semenya<\/a>. (6) In all but an extreme minority of people with DSDs, they have either a male or female<\/a> (5) reproductive system that developed atypically. They may have some physical characteristics of the opposite sex, but they do not have both a male and female reproductive system in one body. On very, very rare occasions individuals are found whose sex cannot be objectively identified, but they are not a third sex.<\/p>\n People with DSDs such as Caster Semenya, are likely males with internal testes.\u00a0 They may have a medical condition such as Partial Androgen Insensitivity, where the androgen receptors only partially respond to naturally produced testosterone. Some may have ambiguous looking genitalia at birth and be categorised as female.\u00a0 However, they have a much higher level of naturally occurring testosterone than females. Caster was born and raised as a female in a poor, black community in South Africa, where her DSD condition was not picked up until tested at international competitions.\u00a0 These days, in wealthier communities and countries, such conditions are usually diagnosed earlier in life.<\/p>\n
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\nBy: Karolyn<\/strong><\/p>\n
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