As a female athlete, I have competed at the national and international level. In the past, I was made aware of transgender athletes competing and opted out of those competitions, as my husband, a doctor, explained the physiology advantages.
My take on transgender athletes is that they should be allowed to compete, but against each other. There should be a separate division for them. I mean, we have special olympics, para-olympics, etc. There is no need to shame or berate or call them freaks, but there are physical differences and this should be addressed so that everyone can compete in a fair and safe environment. And I emphasize the latter. If you want to see what a trans can do to women athletes, search for Fallon Fox who has fractured skulls and broken opponent’s bones. Not all sports are non-contact.
The International Olympic Committee states that an athlete has to be at a specific hormone level for only one year to qualify. The athlete does not have to undergo any surgery. This is a huge advantage for men, who might not be able to qualify in their division, to transition and compete as a woman. As Olympic and pro athletes get a great deal of endorsement money, I believe you are going to see more men going in this direction. Thus, I hope that more women will ban together and protest. After all, when the top 14-16 year old boys can crush women’s world records set in track and field, there is clearly a reason that men and women separately compete. I believe it only fair that this should remain the standard and thus a new division be created for trans athletes.
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