Arkansas bans transgender women and girls from female sporting events

Arkansas bans transgender women and girls from female sporting events

I've been pondering this issue and I believe it would be unfair for females to play against transgendered females because biological males generally are stronger than the average girl/female.

I'm not sure if there are enough transgendered people to build their own sports teams but that seems like the best way to address the matter.

What do you think?

 

I think this goes against medical consensus.

I have always supported Trans rights, but prior to better educating myself in the matter I held similar opinions to the ones you’ve stated here. Most trans women, especially in this age range, have gone through the transition (socially and medically) process from a young age. This includes treatment with puberty blockers. Medical studies have shown that individuals who have not gone through a male puberty are similar in muscle and bone structure to individuals who have gone through a female puberty.

Of course it should come down to a case by case basis. Just as your average student athlete has to go through a sports physical to participate in an organized sports league, so to would a trans youth. They can run appropriate tests to determine if they have gone through a male puberty as well as review medical records relevant to their transition.

As long as things are handled in a way that lines up with medical consensus there shouldn’t be any problem with trans girls participating in girls sports.

 

This is the medical concensus in a nutshell. Trans woman don’t have advantages over coswoman because their bodies are used to having more testertone which is reduced by HRT. So it takes more energy to move their body than it would without HRT. Any notion of an innate advantage just goes out the door immediately. This isn’t new. It’s been known since the 2000s when trans woman were allowed to compete with cis woman

 

Yep, trans women have been competing with CIS women in the olympics for nearly(?) 20 years. CIS women are still winning these competitions.

 

I think the ban is the right thing to do.

 

That they are. We aren’t seeing sports teams go for trans athletes. They’re just doing what they normally do.

 

Medical consensus disagrees with your opinion.

 

No where does it say we have to agree.

 

Sure. Your opinion doesn’t have to line up with medical consensus. That is as long as you don’t act to affect other’s rights with said opinion.

 

They need transgender games. That way both biological sexes can compete.

 

Sure plenty of low contact sports can be enjoyed by unisex leagues. No problem with that.

 

I was not aware of this until now but it sounds like it levels the playing field which was my main concern about biological males competing against biological females. Therefore, I stand by my original position in cases where this hormonal change has not happened.

Thanks for helping me reconsider this issue.

 

What do you think about the information presented in posts #2 and #3?

 

I question them enough that it doesn't change my opinion.

 

Interesting that we never hear anything about transgender men competing on male sporting teams.

 

https://www.insidehook.com/article/sports/trans-athletes-win-boys-sports
https://www.them.us/story/chris-mosier-trans-man-compete-mens-olympic-trials

They exist — including at the olympic level, they just don’t generate enough outrage.

 

Women who identify as women should be able to play sports without being forced to compete with men, and vise versa. It seems to me that theres no reason there couldn't also be co-ed teams where anyone can compete. But just as some schools might not have a womens basketball team because there arent enough women who want to play basketball, or there might not be a golf team due to other budget priorities, some trans people might not be able to play their preferred sport at their school if there isnt enough interest there in a co-ed team. Its not the end of the world...

 

Medical consensus has shown that there is no significant differences between CIS women and a trans women, that have either a) skipped a male puberty with hormone blockers or b) undergone a sufficient period of HRT or both, that would affect their ability to compete on a level playing field. Athletes have to undergo a sports physical before they can participate in organized sports. A trans athlete would have to do the same and doctors can determine if an unfair/dangerous physical disparity would exist. Trans women are women and they should be able to compete in sports just the same as anyone else so long as they meet requirements set by medical science.

 

I am not convinced that every trans athlete meets the above definition or that sports events are or will all enforce such limitations.

It is quite a leap to go from the above to generalize it to the conclusion that "trans women are equal competition with cis women".

 

You don’t have to be convinced, but what I have said is in line with medical consensus.

 

I didn't say it wasn't factual. I don't accept or deny it. I said if true, it doesn't justify the leap to a generalized conclusion. You are talking science about a subset of trans women. The politics isn't so confined.

 

I think the minute you step out of the box to take an unfair advantage, in any sport that you are doing a disservice to that sport.

 

Politics shouldn’t play a role in the matter.

 

Politics are what make laws.

If you advocate for "trans women being allowed to compete in women's sports", and frame it as a discrimination against trans otherwise, then this will be taken to include all trans women, not just the subset that the science limits your point to.

Perhaps your point could instead be used to argue for doing away with gender division in sports and replacing it with something medical.

 

I don’t see a need for laws in this situation. If an athlete is not healthy enough to participate in a particular sporting event then doctors performing sports physicals will not sign off for them to participate. To the best of my knowledge this is enforced by sporting leagues and not federal or state law (I accept the possibility of being wrong if evidence to the contrary is available). Determining if a trans athlete meets the requirements that I have laid out, ones consistent with medical consensus, should be handled in the exact same way. If there is really a strong desire to codify this practice through law then I guess that’s the way it is, but those laws should be based on medical consensus.

Arguing that discriminating against trans women that can compete on a leveling playing field with cis women is wrong does not necessitate that it should apply to all trans women in all stages of transition. The IOC has issued guidance on trans women athletes competing in Olympic Games with cis women (link below). There is no reason why American sports leagues, youth or otherwise, should not adopt these standards.
https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1091417/ioc-guidelines-transgender-tokyo-2020

I’m in favor of unisex leagues where the level of physical contact is appropriate for varying physical strengths and abilities, but there are phenotypic differences between the sexes that should be respected when it comes to sports that can not offer level competition.