Hannah Mouncey Source:News Corp Australia
‘A transgender woman will always beat others in sport who were assigned female’, Untrue, this is not a ‘transgender’ or ‘competitive performance’ issue, but an educational issue. You can not isolate it as a ‘transgender’ issue when you don’t understand the basic issues of human physiology to create either argument. We know there are 9 different known chromosome types; like our society reinforcing the 2 binary system, sport mirrors it in terms of sport participation.
Sport was originally designed by men, for men to entertain men. It has only been recently with social development of our society, women are evolving over recent generations to have the opportunities through evolution in education, business and sport, like men who have evolved without boundaries over centuries. It is a ‘social ideal and assumption’ of men overpowering women. The ideal of the ‘hunter / gatherer’, and women baring children and taking care of the home. These are ‘constants’ to this day reinforced in our society and being played out on the playing field.
Photo credit: Chris Mosier/transathelete.com
The ‘transex’d’ body is not the problem. It is projected as being ‘the problem as it physically represents visually challenging then parallels of the body types; and threatens the social ideals created to which society and sport is developed upon. That is what is happening. What we need to change is not women’s or athletes bodies; but creating how we do sport. With a focus on individuality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility to sport.
Sport is predicated on success no matter ones sex a convergence of technology, coaching, diet, financing, social opportunity, support and one’s born talent.
The sciences debunk this ‘social modeling’, and once you understand these issues, it is truly a #METOO issue, a women’s issue and social issue of sport.
‘Testosterone determines speed and strength and transgender athletes will always have an advantage’, Untrue, testosterone plays 200 key health roles in the human physiology separate of the sex of the body every single day. It is not based on volume testosterone. It is based on the combination of genes, receptors and chromosomes.
There are 40,000 genes in the human physiology,100 different receptor types. When combined, creates infinite possibilities separate of the sex of the body. The IOC, WADA or the AFL have never done the research; and they do not even have the right starting point. The only way this could work based on volume testosterone is if every athlete in the world was bio tested pre puberty and tested throughout their entire sporting career globally. So it is impossible.
XX females androgen receptors designed by nature for the purpose of conception, are highly sensitive to testosterone requiring 6-8 times less to attain the same level of health of someone born XY chromosome. An XY male becomes unwell at 9-12nimol/L androgens known as Hypogonadism. Requiring Androgen support to bring up levels to meet the needs of healthy body function. An XY female goes into menopause at 9.6nmol/L after transition the body loses the ability to generate any hormone and reduced to a level 0.4nmol /L. The transitioned females are made very unwell. Eventually making sport impossible. The XX female functions healthy between nurtural testosterone levels 1-3nmol/L. Below 1nmol/L XX women become unwell. This illustrates the receptor uptake ability and sensitivity of XX females. XX women and XY women physiologies should never be compared as the same; XX women always healthy, XY women are the only women forced to compete in sport unhealthy, in a complete androgen deprivation state – only athlete competing unwell as a prerequisite to participate in sport.
Mack Beggs is named the winner of the 6A Girls 110 Weight Class championship match in the Texas Wrestling State Tournament on February 25, 2107 at Berry Center in Cypress, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The XY transitioned female generates no hormones within an acute few years, then body goes into complete menopausal state; due to complete androgen deprivation creating 24 major contraindications the body no longer is able to support itself as protein cell synthesis ceases, which is a key need and function of the human physiology which all high performance athlete require need to maintain health body and in mind. The transitioned female is actually competing at a disadvantage and eventually will no longer be able to participate in high performance sport due to the bodies ability unable to support itself, putting the athlete at incredible risk.
We must change how we do sport, not athletes bodies and putting them at risk based on social ideology which is happening now.
With XX men, the reverse is happening which whom are taking high levels of testosterone and hyper sensitive to androgen uptake – now out performing XY males in high performance ‘endurance sport and body building sports’.
Transgender athletes will always be bigger and therefore stronger, As explained this is not a transgender issue – an umbrella term. Transition and body types vary massively this is an individual issue based on body type and ones sex.
The umbrella is false and stops people from learning and learning about their own body types.
Laurel Hubbard withdrew from Common Wealth Games after suffering an injury to her arm. (Photo credit: AAP: Dean Lewins)
Women like men, come in all sizes, shapes and heights. We fail to support women like we do with men due too social ideals and placed barriers put on women’s’ bodies. Society says, women cannot be athletes, they must have femininity, while men have no barriers. Thanks to female empowerment, women are changing and need to be allowed to be ‘strong bodied’, as they improve in high performance sport they are being put at great risk if they cannot be strong bodied. We are just on the cusp of women’s performance, and what is possible for women we are still talking about ‘equality and 50/50 medals in 2018.
Which again is socially designed it’s no wonder we are struggling with these issues. It is not the athlete and should never be the their burden. This is about how we do sport and how we need to change.
No young person and or athlete should ever have to prove their identity or change their bodies for anyone to play sport – to ride their bike, kick a ball or run around a track, the impact is to enormous.
At TransFit Con, transgender athletes compete in the world’s only competition for transgender bodybuilders. (COURTESY OF ROADSIDE ENTERTAINMENT | MAN MADE FILM)
This is this assumption that the International Olympic Committee did research to support their current policies to regulate sport. It is untrue. No work was ever done. Moreover this is and never a ‘transgender’ issue ever. If the IOC did the work in the first place, one this would be acknowledged, and secondly we would be working towards as system of individuality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility and embracing the human ability no matter of one sex or body type.
The IPC movement has taught great lessons, and shown what inclusion looks like when embracing human difference and appreciating human individuality and ones ability.
This is about how we do sport. We need to educate towards a system that protects individual athlete health and longterm well-being. The conversation has shifted now from an issue of performance to longterm and protections of the athletes participation in sport longterm.
Written by Kirsti Miller: Aussie Sports-Trailblazer, dual-international athlete, educator within sport regarding diversity, inclusion, accessibility and the broader issues of inclusive sport.