Transgender weightlifter

Tbf equestrian events would be perfect as being male or female doesn't cone into it. Although being rich enough to afford the horses does!!

 

The only fair way would be a separate category in my opinion, unless it can be shown the transgender athlete has received no competitive advantage by being born male.

May even need further subcategories, as with Paralympics.

Transgender rights should not be prioritised above women’s rights IMO. There needs to be a solution that protects both.

 

There are plenty of sports that are purely skill Helen where women compete alongside men. Eg
Many Equestrian competitions
Snooker
Pool
Darts
Horse racing.
No one thinks twice as to whether they should be separate.

 

her snatch as improved loads apparently

 

Yep let's be grateful for those!

 

Absolutely agree with this. I certainly don't want anybody to feel unhappy with themselves but the thought that the strides women's sports has been taking will be pushed right back makes me feel sad for future generations of women.

 

That is just causing further division and can cause more emotional/mental health stress to the transgender person. Again, I can't comprehend what these people have gone through in their past knowing they are in the wrong body, but by giving them their own categories further enforces the view that they are "different" and still not women.

You are right that trans-rights should not trump women's rights, but by pigeon-holing trans women as something other than female(for sporting purposes), you're then relegating trans-rights below women's rights again. There really is no eas answer, and I don't envy those having to make the decisions...

 

So no competitive sports for transgender men then!?

 

Where did I say that???

 

Well how can they compete other than to be in a transgender category. They won't be strong or fast enough to compete with biological men in most sports.

 

Not every sport is strength or speed-based, is it?

Look, as I have said twice now, I don't know the answer. What I do know is what I have been told by friends that have transitioned, or are going through it. The ones that have gone m-t-f(2 of them), have both said all they want in the world is to be recognized as women. Not "trans" women, just women. If we took them and put them in a category of their own, it would crush them emotionally. But I also look at things from my daughter's point of view. If she ended up being an elite-level athlete, she would probably be crushed by being beat by someone who has transitioned after puberty(if said person was the only one to beat her). So what is the answer? Do we put a group of people who have had a life full of mental torture through more mental torture, or do we ensure that a female-born athlete does not have her soul destroyed due to not being able to compete?

 

That's a very good summary and this is why I posted the topic. I can see both sides of the issue and cnat for the life in me think of a solution that is fair to everyone.

 

There was a TV programme last year which Martina Navratilova fronted. There was a pro golfer who'd transitioned to female who was totally lost. She couldn't enter male events because she was a female and the women's event wouldn't accept her either because she was driving the ball 100 yards further than any other female. She understood the reasons she was exempted from the women's tour but unless they let her in her career was over. They didn't come up with an answer.

 

The point still.remains though about ftm. They're cut off completely too. So having a transgender category gives them somewhere to go too.

 

An impossible issue I thankfully don’t have to face because the most athletic thing I do is leisure cycling.

A couple of points:

1. Studies show male to female transgender people actually have lower bone and sometimes muscle density than those who are born female if they have been on HRT for 2 years. Things like opening a jam jar become genuinely difficult.

2. On the other hand, going through male puberty can’t just be ignored. There might not be a bone density advantage, but there will be others.

3. Where do we draw the line at unfair natural advantage in general? Does a 6’4 born woman have an unfair advantage in basketball over a 4’10 born woman for example?

4. A separate transgender category is a no from me, but that’s me personally. Trans people don’t like their transition to be brought up if possible. We like to put it behind us if anything.

5. Forcing the legal ability to compete in women’s competition is as harmful as it is helpful. We’re already hated and mocked by a lot of people, and every time something like this happens it turns more and more people against us.

There is now a growing ‘gender critical’ movement promoted by the likes of JK Rowling whose entire goal is to ‘stop trans people killing women’s rights and stop recognising transgender status’. This is extremely painful. And the question of fair sports is one of their main areas of discussion.

I honestly don’t know the solution.

 

I suppose those with disabilities don't like to be defined by their disabilities either, but for sports purposes they are?

 

Because they want to be in sporting terms, it allows them to compete. If they’re still good enough to compete against able competitors, they are still legally allowed to.

 

True. What's your solution for ftm though?

 

Great post from someone much closer to the situation than most of us.

At the end of the day, at least one group of people are going to unhappy with whatever decision is made, which really is sad.

 

Honestly, no idea. I can’t pretend I know.

I do know that one thing I’d like to see as a separate entity would be more mixed gender sports. Very much as an optional extra discipline with no pressure for anyone to join it. But not even in terms of just trans participation - if a born/cis woman feels able to and wants to compete with men in a sport that is currently segregated, there should be some space they can do that in addition to the segregated leagues etc.