In a March 6 episode of his podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” California Governor Gavin Newsom commented that the participation of transgender women in women’s sports is “unfair.” Despite his history of allyship with the LGBTQ+ community, he appears to be aligning himself with more socially conservative Americans on this issue, potentially in the hopes of becoming more appealing to voters. In this article, we’re breaking down the widespread misconceptions about trans women in sports.
Myth 1: Trans women are men.
Gender is not immutable or predefined, and trans women are women. Even sex, which is typically assigned at birth based on external sex characteristics, is not binary due to human variation in hormones, internal organs, external organs, and more. Trans womens’ identities are valid no matter how they choose to express them.
Myth 2: Trans women are dangerous to cis women.
Critics argue that the participation of trans women alongside cisgender women in sports presents a danger to cis women. Among these imagined dangers are bodily injury, sexual assault, and loss of opportunity. While it is true that there are bodily differences between cisgender men and women, including hormone levels, muscle mass, and more, these physical differences tend to be present between transgender women and cisgender men as well.
There are also no known instances of sexual assault perpetrated by a trans woman against a cis woman in sports. Furthermore, sports are meant to be competitive. Those who advocate against trans women participating in women’s sports do not seem to have an issue with cis women losing out on scholarships or other opportunities to other cis women, and having tough competition can be a motivator for athletes to improve further.
Myth 3: Trans women always have a physical advantage over cis women.
Yes, it is possible for bodily differences to give trans women an advantage over cis women. It is also possible for the opposite to be true as trans women who choose to medically transition adjust to their changing bodies. Testosterone is a performance enhancing hormone, but once testosterone is lowered, the performance boost also disappears. Trans women take testosterone blockers to lower the level of the hormone in their bloodstream, with levels reaching below 3 nanograms per deciliter. Cisgender women’s levels of testosterone are normally between 9 and 55 nanograms per deciliter, often higher than the levels of trans women.
Other advantages include body types that are suited to a particular sport, coming from a wealthier family, and having access to more training compared to other athletes. In fact, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps possesses multiple genetic benefits that augment his swimming abilities. Sports have always rewarded those who have biological advantages — being taller, stronger, or faster than the average person. These advantages are not regulated because we understand that the eradication of all differences is impossible and dystopian, reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, Harrison Bergeron.
Trans women and girls face unique disadvantages in sports due to their gender identity. They are at a higher risk of violence and discrimination than cis women and girls, which contributes to poorer mental health. Additionally, trans women disproportionately skip school and feel disconnected from their school communities due to gender identity-based targeting. Participation in sports comes with various benefits that trans women would be excluded from if they are banned from women’s sports.
Myth 4: Banning trans women from sports is simple.
Laws and regulations seeking to prohibit transgender people from participating on the sports team that aligns with their gender identity are grounded in flawed beliefs about gender. The Human Rights Campaign writes that these laws tend to impose requirements to confirm a participant’s gender, such as medical exams, DNA testing, or blood work.
However, due to human variation, these tests may come up with an incorrect result even for cis women. One example is Caster Semenya, a cisgender Olympic runner who was ordered to take medication to lower her naturally high level of testosterone before returning to women’s competition. This is only one example of how regulating the ways it is appropriate to be a woman has and will affect cis women. Gender policing is unfair and invasive for all people.
Myth 5: If trans women are allowed to compete in women’s sports, men will pretend to be trans women to get ahead.
There is no evidence that a cis man has ever pretended to be a trans woman to gain a competitive edge. Even if this were the case, this would be an issue with cis mens’ choices, not with trans women’s existence.
The topic of trans people in sports has become unduly large compared to the population in question. Trans people currently make up 0.5% of the population, and experts estimate that there are less than 100 trans women competing in NCAA sports out of over 530,000 athletes.
Efforts to promote rights on the basis of sexual orientation without including gender identity, which Governor Newsom seems to support, are not new. In fact, trans exclusion within gay rights groups dates back at least as far as the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, groups that sought to win inclusion for gay people through assimilationist tactics in the 1950s and 60s. Legitimizing discrimination against one marginalized population while advocating for others’ civil rights is absurd. There is no LGB without the T, despite what some groups claim, and solidarity is a much better avenue for success.
Regarding the participation of trans women in women’s sports, it seems more sensible for coaches and schools to take pride in their trans athletes. These athletes should be supported by their teammates and taught to improve like everyone else. Let them find joy in their gender identity, in participating in their favorite activity, and in the relationships they have with the people around them.
