Trans women x cis women in sports competitions – 03/29/2023 – Mariliz Pereira Jorge

At Rio-2016, there was no mention of transgender people, despite the fact that the International Olympic Committee already had defined rules. I was a columnist for the Sport section for three and a half years and basically covered subjects that might be boring for the reader who really likes football: sexism, homophobia, racism, doping (my favorite), corruption. Transphobia or the possible inequality between cis and trans women were not issues.

There was a buzz that the UK delegation had not declared the presence of transgenders, but even the controversy surrounding Caster Semenya from South Africa gained attention. The sprinter won gold in the 800 meters after facing accusations that she was a “man” because of her high levels of testosterone.

Only in Tokyo, i.e. in 2021, did we have the official trans record in the competition. More or less yesterday. That is why it is so important that the subject be discussed, but unfortunately not many people are willing to do so, which leaves the debate restricted to trans activists and two other groups for whom these people should not even exist: radical feminists and the extreme right.

Now, World Athletics (World Athletics Association) has banned transgenders from women’s competitions and mandated testosterone reduction for those who show difference in sexual development (DSD), such as Caster Semeya. The measure, says the entity, is to protect the category, but it is not definitive.

WA wants to investigate whether trans athletes would benefit developmentally from male hormones during puberty and whether they would not lose this advantage when transitioning gender in adulthood. Sounds pretty reasonable. It interests (or should) everyone that the rules are fair, that trans people are welcomed in sports, that doubts are clarified to disarm transphobics and, obviously, that cis women are not wronged.

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