Trans athletes under the eyes of science – 03/30/2023 – Bruno Gualano

World Athletics has announced measures toughening the eligibility of trans women in athletics. Those who have gone through male puberty – a period in which there is an explosion in testosterone production – are prohibited from participating in competitions that count towards the world ranking. Sebastian Coe, president of the organization, justifies the decision “by the principle of protecting the female category”. Are trans athletes a threat to women’s sports?

How the hormonal transition affects athletic performance is not a trivial question, contrary to what many imagine. A recent article reviewed 24 studies on the topic.

The results, taken together, indicate that after four months of hormone treatment trans women reduce their levels of hemoglobin –an essential oxygen transport protein in long tests– to values ​​seen in cisgender women (those who identify with the gender at birth).

On the other hand, trans women have more strength and muscle mass than their cis peers even after 36 months of hormonal transition. It is believed that chronic exposure to testosterone (before its therapeutic suppression) imprints a kind of “memory” of strength production and hypertrophy in the muscles, ready to be activated by stimulus, such as training.

We still don’t know how long such muscle memory would persist, particularly when induced by male puberty.

And, above all, we are mainly unaware of the extent to which previous physiological adaptations to the hormonal transition would confer competitive advantages in different sports. The alleged testosterone memory is one factor among a myriad of others (physiological, physical, psychological, cognitive, nutritional, genetic, etc.) that, in all their possible combinations, could influence the performance of an elite athlete.

Trans people are understudied, particularly in the sports context. Science, unfortunately, reflects and intensifies the social marginalization that afflicts this and other minorities.

In the face of arid evidence, the competition of trans and cis women in the same category remained one of the biggest dilemmas faced by elite sport. This would only be possible if the equality and integrity of competition were not violated – something that science has not yet been able to ascertain.

Anyone who sees “identity militancy” in everything is bound to ignore the genuine scientific doubts that permeate the topic, interdicting what would be a legitimate debate. The ground has been created for opinions without ballast in reality.

Note the argument that the inclusion of trans would decimate women’s sport – an argument that supports numerous bills that are being processed at the municipal, state and federal levels.

Now let’s examine the specific case of the Rio Olympic Games, which had 460 medals up for grabs by 4,700 female athletes. Since trans women make up approximately 0.6% of the population, around 28 of them would be expected to participate, with a chance of winning at least 2 medals.

The fact is that no trans competed in Rio. (The first and only trans Olympian was New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who in Tokyo finished last overall.)

It is fitting that competitive justice is the motto that entangles the discussion of trans eligibility in elite sport. But in recreational sports, inclusion should dictate the game. This is, in fact, the guiding principle of the new consensus of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (USA), which proposes several systemic and structural actions focused on education, health and management to combat myths and prejudices of the sports community, guaranteeing some well-being to the trans athlete.

In societies taken over by the violence of transphobia – the inglorious modality in which Brazil occupies the top of the podium–, the dispute between trans women seems to be less about medals than about visibility.

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.