This is an amazingly well written scientific discussion on the above subject. Please read the scientific evidence that supports the stated conclusions shown below. A very interesting discussion. Please comment.
From Transacola
BY: ARIEL JEAN
AUGUST 4, 2020
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| Dr. Renée Richards - 1975 |
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But people are seriously up in arms over this, so I guess we’re talking about it now. The main arguments appear to be that trans women are at an apparent advantage over cis women because of greater bone density, muscle mass, and differences in hormone levels. So let’s tackle each of these.
So now that we have all that out of the way, let’s review what we’ve learned so far.
- Male and Female times only differ by around 10%
- That margin keeps narrowing as more female athletes enter competitions
- Transgender women have lower bone density, muscle mass, strength, and testosterone than men to begin with
- Trans women are required to be on HRT and have their testosterone in normal female ranges prior to competition
- Is HRT enough to sufficiently narrow that 10% gap?
- I can only assume so looking at our mediocre averages
- Oh and also women are for more capable than we’re given credit, and that will be shown in due time
When I was in grade school, the fasted kid on the playground was a girl. There were no organized sports for girls in those days, but I imagine she would have been quite the star athlete as we moved on through junior high and high school. Of course, there became a time when some of the boys, including myself, could run faster than she could. I'm pretty sure it was the effects of puberty on all of us, and much more from the surge of testosterone in the boys than from the increase of estrogen in her, that was the reason. It mattered not that I would, at most every opportunity, come home from track practice only to feminize my appearance behind locked doors; I had to run and compete with the boys on the track. Even if testosterone blockers had been an option after puberty had begun its effects on my body, I had already gained advantage through technique and physical growth. I may have lost some strength and speed, then, but I had already acquired much just by having had a the beginning of a typical masculination - both physically and socially (only boys could compete, remember).
ReplyDeleteHad there been a girls' track team when I went to school, and I was given the opportunity to declare myself a girl, I think I would have just given up on competing altogether. Much of the reason I had for competing in sports was to hide my feminine gender identity, anyway. I was a fairly decent athlete, though, and I have checked the girls' high school record books to see that even my freshman times would have been among the best in the country (even 55 years later).
In the game of "woulda/coulda/shoulda," I know that it would not have been fair for me to compete against the girls purely on my declaration of a female gender identity. There are trans girls and activists, today, who want to do just that, however. While there are strict rules regarding hormone levels and the amount of time spent on HRT in college and Olympic sports now, I don't think they apply to all situations in high school (and lower). I'm sure that there are some girls who have missed out on the chance for an athletic scholarship because of this.
Given more time, I'm pretty sure that the points made in the article will be, for the most part, proven. It will be more of a marathon than a sprint, however.
Great comment Connie! Thanks
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