This is an honest question and not intended to be inflammatory.
If a man goes through puberty, then undergoes gender reassignment surgery and is able to prove that their hormone levels are within the allowed ranges for four years, will their physique be comparable to that of a person who was assigned female at birth? Do they still have physical advantages gained through male puberty?
they’re gonna have physical strength similar to someone with their physique. hrt noticeably reduces muscle mass and many cis women (especially pro athletes) have higher testosterone levels than hrt levels aim for
They’re also going to have a better lung capacity, more stable trunk, and in relation to height men have longer arms and legs. Men also have larger bone areas at muscle attachment sites.
There’s currently no way of removing all the variables that exist in order to equalize everything. In the case of boxing, you’ll always hear about “reach” or arm length/wingspan. Boxers with a longer reach usually have an advantage since they can land blows out of range of their opponents. Since a born male will have a longer wingspan than a born female, that is one boxing specific thing that any Trans boxer will have over their opponent. That and lung capacity.
true. A better measure might be something like “lifetime testosterone level”; the current rules would not prevent a motivated coach from putting a cis woman on male growth hormones as a child and ending the regiment long in advance of the hormone testing period
It doesn’t change that born males have a more stable trunk and longer reach and increased lung capacity. All three of those things are beneficial to a boxer.
The argument that being trans gives you a competitive advantage always uses Lea Thomas as an example and always omits the fact that ciswomen swam faster than her.
Not a doctor or a trans woman, but from what I understand, you lose the physical advantages of self-produced testosterone over time.
Additionally, it’s not as simple as “hormone levels.” Some AFAB women have higher than normal levels of testosterone, and some AMAB men have higher than normal levels of estrogen (and/or just lower testosterone levels). There will always be athletes who have biological advantages, whether that’s a bigger heart, better lungs, longer/shorter legs, better eyes, stronger bones, etc.
We draw these boxes around perceived genders as if that’s a guarantee of fairness, but it’s not some panacea that effectively separates the able from the unable, just like gender is more than your genes.
Who cares though? It’s time to stop segregating sports by gender. Sports are skill based, right? So let’s break them down that way. Break out divisions by skill, not by gender or physical location. If a woman can work her way to top-tier heavyweight boxing, let her do it.
E: Damn, y’all are really afraid of getting beat by a girl!
For now, developing clear and equitable division eligibility policies and subsequently, allowing transgender athletes to compete in the appropriate division is prudent.
So like creating divisions based on skill instead of gender so all people can compete with any other athletes of a similar ability?
I like that this policy includes requirements for hormones over time. I don’t know the science but they clearly considered potential unfairness and attempted to account for it
This is an honest question and not intended to be inflammatory.
If a man goes through puberty, then undergoes gender reassignment surgery and is able to prove that their hormone levels are within the allowed ranges for four years, will their physique be comparable to that of a person who was assigned female at birth? Do they still have physical advantages gained through male puberty?
they’re gonna have physical strength similar to someone with their physique. hrt noticeably reduces muscle mass and many cis women (especially pro athletes) have higher testosterone levels than hrt levels aim for
They’re also going to have a better lung capacity, more stable trunk, and in relation to height men have longer arms and legs. Men also have larger bone areas at muscle attachment sites.
There’s currently no way of removing all the variables that exist in order to equalize everything. In the case of boxing, you’ll always hear about “reach” or arm length/wingspan. Boxers with a longer reach usually have an advantage since they can land blows out of range of their opponents. Since a born male will have a longer wingspan than a born female, that is one boxing specific thing that any Trans boxer will have over their opponent. That and lung capacity.
true. A better measure might be something like “lifetime testosterone level”; the current rules would not prevent a motivated coach from putting a cis woman on male growth hormones as a child and ending the regiment long in advance of the hormone testing period
The medical science on it says that two years of hormone therapy are enough to lose any sort of competitive advantage in trans athletes.
Four years is overkill, and is part of why this policy is considered one of the strictest in professional sports.
It doesn’t change that born males have a more stable trunk and longer reach and increased lung capacity. All three of those things are beneficial to a boxer.
The argument that being trans gives you a competitive advantage always uses Lea Thomas as an example and always omits the fact that ciswomen swam faster than her.
The whole thing is bullshit.
Not a doctor or a trans woman, but from what I understand, you lose the physical advantages of self-produced testosterone over time.
Additionally, it’s not as simple as “hormone levels.” Some AFAB women have higher than normal levels of testosterone, and some AMAB men have higher than normal levels of estrogen (and/or just lower testosterone levels). There will always be athletes who have biological advantages, whether that’s a bigger heart, better lungs, longer/shorter legs, better eyes, stronger bones, etc.
We draw these boxes around perceived genders as if that’s a guarantee of fairness, but it’s not some panacea that effectively separates the able from the unable, just like gender is more than your genes.
Who cares though? It’s time to stop segregating sports by gender. Sports are skill based, right? So let’s break them down that way. Break out divisions by skill, not by gender or physical location. If a woman can work her way to top-tier heavyweight boxing, let her do it.
E: Damn, y’all are really afraid of getting beat by a girl!
Barbell Medicine has an excellent article about gender in sports: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/shades-of-gray-sex-gender-and-fairness-in-sport/
So like creating divisions based on skill instead of gender so all people can compete with any other athletes of a similar ability?
Oh my god, it’s skill based matchmaking!
CoD streamers and players are gonna go WILD!
I like that this policy includes requirements for hormones over time. I don’t know the science but they clearly considered potential unfairness and attempted to account for it
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Whatba dumb shit take.
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It’s women’s boxing. No balls involved