Eight governors have recently signed a letter arguing that transgender women should be barred from competing in women’s sports. The argument, which is not strongly supported by scientific evidence, is part of the conservative culture war against the left, including LGBTQ+ rights.
The letter
The letter states, “The NCAA has the chance to guarantee an environment where female college athletes can thrive without the concern of inequities. We trust that you also want to guarantee just such an environment.”
The current environment
Currently, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) allows transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
Inequities?
In their letter, the governors argue that “this policy allows the NCAA to avoid responsibility for ensuring the fairness of collegiate sports — therefore, it must be changed.”
Who signed the letter?
Eight state governors signed the letter: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana, Gov. Joe Lombardo of Nevada, Gov. Greg Abbot of Texas and Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
What the Right wants
The eight governors want the NCAA to exclude transgender women from competing in women’s sports. Instead, the argument goes, these athletes should be forced to compete with men or in their own league.
The anti-trans argument
The argument for banning transgender women from women’s sports stems from the idea that these athletes, having been born as men, will have unfair advantages over their cisgender peers. These supposed advantages are said to come from the physical changes caused by testosterone, a hormone that is often present at higher levels in transgender women.
Women can’t win?
Those in favor of bans falsely argue that the supposed advantages enjoyed by transgender women mean that cisgender women are literally unable to win against them. In 2020, for example, the families of three cisgender girls filed a lawsuit arguing that transgender athletes had an unfair advantage — despite one of the girls beating a transgender athlete named in the lawsuit in a state championship.
Shaky argument
There are plenty of cisgender women with elevated testosterone. In fact, scientists think that one in ten women have a condition that elevates their testosterone — and they are not banned from competing with other women.
Puberty blockers
Additionally, when transgender girls are allowed to take puberty blockers, their testosterone levels fall so far as to be considered negligible. Yet conservatives, including those who signed the letter, often advocate against such treatments.
Does testosterone really help?
The advantages provided by testosterone are somewhat illusory, too. “Studies of testosterone levels in athletes do not show any clear, consistent relationship between testosterone and athletic performance,” explains scientist and testosterone expert Katrina Karkazis. “Sometimes testosterone is associated with better performance, but other studies show weak or no links. And yet others show testosterone is associated with worse performance.”
Dubious verification
While the letter proposes a ban on transgender athletes, it doesn’t specify how to carry out that ban. Proposed bills, including one in Idaho, would force students accused of being transgender to prove their sex.
How to prove your sex
In order to prove their sex, students would be forced to undergo genital inspections or genetic testing. The former is clearly intrusive, and the latter isn’t as foolproof as many conservatives think: Various genetic conditions might result in a cisgender woman having XY chromosomes, making such policies impossible to enforce properly.
Much ado about nothing
Critics of bans on transgender athletes point to the fact that inclusive policies have existed for years with no issues. In California and Canada, for example, transgender youth have been permitted to compete in women’s teams.
All the way to the top
Even the Olympics allows transgender women to compete in female sports, and it has done so since 2004. Yet no openly transgender athlete has ever qualified, let alone won.
Real victims
While trans-inclusive policies seldom result in issues, anti-trans policies make life more difficult for people who already suffer from higher rates of mental illness, bullying, homelessness, poverty, etc.
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