Who gets to play? The debate over trans women in sports.

    Who gets to play? The debate over trans women in sports.

By: Angela Garcia

Imagine training for years for your sport, but they tell you that you are at a disadvantage before even beginning. Sports are supposed to be about building connections, having fun competition and creating good teamwork, but lately there’s been a huge debate over the nation whether trans women should be playing in women’s sports. A transgender woman is someone who was born male but now identifies and lives as a female. This is a topic that has been broadcasted all over the news and all over social media. People have very strong opinions about it. Some people think transgender women should be able to compete with other women because it’s “ equality.” Others think it is unfair and it would give transgender women a bigger advantage over all biological women. This is a big deal right now, especially in high school sports. One of the main reasons people support the transgender women playing in women’s sports is because everyone should feel included. High school sports are competitive enough as it is for most students. Sports should be a place to make friends, build your own confidence and it should also make you feel like you’re a part of something that’s bigger than yourself. For transgender girls, when they are being told they can’t play on the team that matches their gender identity, could potentially be upsetting. The supporters believe that everyone deserves a chance to play the sport they love without being put aside for who they are. On the other hand, people believe that transgender women playing in women's sports is not fair. They say the transgender women have physical advantages on cisgender women. For example, they could be stronger or faster, even after they transition. Many high school athletes spend years practicing and working hard to be successful at what they do. This side of the argument is more focused on keeping sports fair and competitive, especially the female athletes who have been working hard for success, and they might feel like their opportunities are being taken away. This is an issue that has caused a lot of arguments because both sides make good points, and there is no easy solution. Schools are trying to come up with rules that can make things fair for everyone. Some of the schools have created policies about how long transgender athletes have to be on their home therapy before they can compete, while other schools tell students they can play based on their gender identity without restricting them at all. I am going to explain both sides of the argument about the transgender women playing in women's sports. I will go over some of the people who support it and why the others do not. I will also talk about what schools and sport organizations are currently doing to try to make a solution that is fair for everyone.

A big part of understanding the debate means you have to understand the differences. Between transgender and cisgender athletes, as well as the terms, gender identity and biological sex. Biological sex is the physical traits that you were born with, like your chromosomes, hormones and anatomy. Gender identity is how someone chooses to identify themselves such as male, female, or non-binary. It does not always match the sex that you were assigned at birth. Since gender athletes are people whose gender identity matches the biological sex that they have, transgender athletes have a gender identity that is different from the sex. They were born as. These definitions are important to understand because they are the basis of the current rules and current policies in high school sports (Coleman 65). Right now, most high school sports are based on the biological sexes of their athletes. The federal government has declared that schools could lose funding if they let transgender girls play on girls teams. Because of this, many states have passed laws that ban transgender girls from competing with the other girls. For example, on April 20 25, Georgia passed the Riley gains act which says students have to play on the team that matches their sex that is on their birth certificate. This means that even if a student identifies as a girl, she would still have to play on the boys team if she was born a male other states like Florida, Idaho, Texas and Missouri have created similar laws and rules that are now very common across the country (Brzycki 4).

 However, there are still a few states that allow transgender students to compete with a team that matches their gender identity like California and New York. In those states, the athletic association sometimes let the transgender athletes join girls or boys teams without restricting them, but in most places, high school sports are now divided by biological sex. Some schools are state athletic associations that have some extra rules about how long a transgender athlete has to be on hormone therapy before they can join a team, but it is rare. All of the rules and policies have a huge impact on transgender students. Many girls want to play sports on a team that matches their gender identity, but the law and their state might not always allow it. This continues the debate because people feel that using their biological sex is the fairest and easiest way to keep sports competitive, while other people think that these rules leave the transgender athletes out. Right now, most high schools have to follow the state law or they risk losing their funding so rules can vary very differently depending on where you live.

One of the main reasons people support transgender women playing in high school sports is because they believe in equality and non discrimination. Every student athlete should have a fair chance to be part of a team that they love, and they should be able to enjoy the benefits of the sport no matter what they identify as. High school is supposed to be a place where students feel safe and included. When transgender girls are told they can’t plan a team that matches what they identify as, it can send them a message that they don’t belong. According to the San Francisco office of transgender initiatives, less than 0.5% of youth identify as transgender, but they face higher risk of being discriminated against and being left out by their sis, gender classmates.

Not being allowed to play doesn’t just hurt their feelings. It can also affect their mental health. Transgender students are already bound to face higher levels of bullying, anxiety, and depression. According to a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA, bans on trans athletes can increase feelings of them being isolated and reduce school participation. Sports are there to help students stay active, build friendships that last lifetimes and make them feel like they’re really a part of something. When they can’t do that, trans students are more likely to feel rejected and left out of their school community.

People worry that including transgender girls might hurt the fairness of competition. But there are real examples showing that inclusion can work. And states like California and New York, transgender athletes are allowed to play on teams that match what they identify as. According to Women in Sport, these states have seen positive results without major issues in fairness. Not all the transgender athletes are stronger and faster in a many cases they can be at the same level as everyone else. In Connecticut, transgender runners did win races, but they were also being beaten by cis gender girls multiple times.

inclusion doesn’t mean giving someone an advantage, it means giving the same chance to everyone. When it’s done carefully, it can work without ruining fairness completely. Port should be about participation rather than teamwork when transgender girls are treated equally. It helps everyone else learn how to be more accepting, whether it’s on or off the field.

 Even though inclusion is important, making sports fair is also a big part of the conversation. People argue that transgender girls may have physical advantages, especially when they were born male and went through puberty as a man. This affects things like muscle strength, speed, and their endurance. A scientific article from the National Institute of Health (PMC8944319) explains that people who were born a man have higher muscle mass and bone density than people who were born female, even after a year or more of hormone therapy treatments. This might make a huge difference in some sports, especially when it comes to their performance.

Doriane Coleman, who was a lab professor and a former elite runner, talks about that issue in her article “sex in Sport.” She says sports are usually separated by sex for a reason, so that the competition stays fair. She talks about transgender athletes, and if they level their testosterone, some of the physical advantages may stay, especially if the athlete began their training before their transition (Coleman 67). This is why some people argue that letting transgender women compete in female categories would take away some of the opportunities from the gender women who have worked just as hard. Safety is also a really big concern, especially in contact sports like wrestling, basketball or even rugby. If there’s a major difference, and a strength and their size injuries can happen. According to Brzycki’s research on strength differences, male athletes that are competing at the high school level typically have more explosive power, which could make contact more dangerous. And one recent case, cis gender girl in North Carolina suffered a concussion after being hit by a volleyball strike by a transgender girl. This opened people’s eyes to more safety concerns among the parents and the school officials.

Not all transgender athletes have a huge physical advantage, but it’s understandable that people want to make clearer rules to make sure that the playing field is safe and fair. The people who agree on inclusion do agree that fairness matters, but they believe that the answer isn’t to just be transgender girls entirely. I think we should look at things like how long someone has been going through their hormone therapy and what kind of sport it is. Not every case is the same, but treating every athlete the same way might not be fair either, it all comes down to their circumstances.

Now, back to the question of whether transgender women should play in women’s sports. It’s not just about who wins or who loses, Both sides bring up important points. Supporters of inclusion allow all students to feel a sense of belonging, while the critics want to make sure the competition stays safe and fair. This is hard to figure out in high school sports because this is where students are still growing and finding out who they are. We looked at how inclusion supports mental health and gives the transgender students equal opportunities, and we also looked at how physical differences can affect competition and safety. In my opinion, we can find a solution that includes everyone without harming fairness. I feel like we can find a middle ground that respects all the athletes, like making coed teams or even just an alternative bracket for them. If we want our schools to truly be fair and supportive, then we need policies based on both of the comparisons and the facts.