Transgender females to compete

I had heard this, but not read about the details.   Obviously this would not apply to international competition.  Based on your wording


it suggests that this does not apply to the WNBA, LPGA, or women's tennis.  (or any other relevant women's pro league).   

The irony of the situation is, in trying to be equitable and gain virtue points, the ones who are at the most significant disadvantage are women themselves.

Imagine being the fastest female sprinter in the state of Connecticut, only to have that honor taken from you? Oh wait, that already happened.

This topic is always going to be difficult. I am sympathetic to transgender individuals and the many obstacles they face in trying to carve out a place for themselves in a very judgmental world. However, as a former coach of female athletes, I do not want them to pay a price for for the difficulties of others. I also remember Christine Jorgensen and Rene Richards. As one simple example, if a female athlete takes testosterone injections, that person can be disqualified for using a performance enhancing drug. However, a transgender female has a natural supply of testosterone that will give her the same advantage...without a penalty.

Perhaps we will eventually see separate event categories for transgender individuals. The complications and costs for that could be huge, but that does not mean it won't happen at some point.

Quick thoughts:

1. Here is the executive order. www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-preventing-and-combating-discrimination-on-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation/ It is really just aspirational.

2. I don't think that Title IX prohbits allowing trans females to compete with cis females because I think that the statute will be interpreted as Title VII was by the Supreme Court to allow the trans female to compete.

3. On the issue of whether it creates an unfair situation, I can only say that there are lots of physical traits in athletics that cause unfair advantages--height, weight, hand size, natural coordination, eyesight, etc. A trans girl will tell you that she is a girl and that the advantage she might get from having some characteristics of a boy is similar to the advantage the 6'10 kid has in basketball.

4. I don't think that there will be a flood of these cases. There were two trans girls in Connecticut high school track as SOV noted. They have both graduated and there are, as far as anyone has identified, no others competing. It is important to note that both of these girls lost several times to cis girls. In fact, one of the cis plaintiffs in the pending lawsuit lost to so many cis girls as a senior that she didn't even make it to the State Open in indoor track where she would have competed against the trans girl. The top cis girl won the final competitions last year. Through the litigation (brought by the "Christian" lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom) it was revealed that the two trans girls were both taking hormone treatments. Their advantages will probably not last much longer.

5. The NCAA has a lot of information about this on its website.

www.ncaa.org/static/champion/a-time-of-transition/

EDIT:  Also, see this recent article about hormone treatment www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trans-women-retain-athletic-edge-after-year-hormone-therapy-study-n1252764

www.transathlete.com/policies-college#:~:text=The%20recommended%20NCAA%20policy%20requires,transition%20using%20hormones%20(testosterone).

I covered the young lady at Franklin Pierce a few years ago who was transgender. I was not aware they were transgender at the time or really care but she was dominating every track and field event they ran in. We are talking about winning a conference title by two seconds in a 50 second race. They had transitioned during their college days and she was not a factor on the men's side, sat out a year and then came back to be a national champion. 

Was it fair to the other athletes? I am not sure and until this day, I am still on the fence on this issue. 

I am aware.   I was citing an example of a male playing competing against all females and dominating.  The situation is a little different in that there was no option for guys.  Still reinforces the point that the average guy is bigger and stronger than the average girl - possibly explaining while girl's sports exist

Tom's point about the boy playing field hockey highlights why this is really much ado about nothing.  Just as there have been very few instances of trans females competing in high school and college sports with other women, there have been almost no cases of boys trying to play field hockey.

I would point out that there have been many instances of girls who wrestle on boys teams in high school.  They do it despite the obvious physical disparities.  I know these two things about high school kids:

1.  They want to belong to a group.
2.  They don't like to be different.  

When somebody finds me the first kid who transitions for the sole purpose of winning a high school track meet, I'll shut up.  

I do not see this as "marginalization." People who embrace their transgender status are already embracing being different. You are probably right about no separate events, as I said. But this is already done for people with physical differences (some call such differences "handicaps"). However, having to compete against athletes of a different physical gender appears on the face of it to be unfair to those who do not wish to do so. As I said, the topic is a difficult one. You seem to be blending several types situations. Those who accept surgery and make a physical transition are in a very different situation than those who accept they are in a different gender category than the one they received at birth, but do not wish any to accept physical or hormonal changes. "Difficult."

Here is the Franklin Pierce woman I was referring to 

www.letsrun.com/news/2019/05/what-no-one-is-telling-you-an-athlete-who-ran-ncaa-track-as-a-man-for-3-years-just-won-an-ncaa-womens-title/

Following up on RSG, I do not think the phrase "gender identity" used in the order implies or requires surgery or hormones.   That being said, the other factors are very real.

From a practical standpoint, I do not think a lot of women are going to lose out on college basketball scholarships because they lost out to a genetic male that identifies as female

To further that point Martina has said that it is indeed not fair for girls to have to compete against trans females- it's simply not a 'level field' - can we all agree she's got a point ?