Fair transgender competition

Fair competition the transgender issue

by Tiffany Tiu

Transgender participation in sport has drawn increasing attention as more and more transgendered athletes are entering competitions. Some fear that competition may no longer be fair, particularly in women’s sports, if a former biological man competes against biological women, taking podium positions, athletic scholarships, and replacing females’ records. Others advocate inclusivity in sports and respect for all athletes irrespective of identity.

Sports should be for all. There is no doubt about the importance and benefits of sports participation.1 Further, trans rights are equal to men’s and women’s rights, and none of these rights are less than human rights, including the right to participate in the cultural life of the community.2 Everyone should enjoy the opportunity to compete. That said, the controversy lies in competitive sports, where athletes train to compete against one another in a regulated environment, and where winning or losing matter greatly for careers.

The debate on transgender inclusion in sports is centered particularly on transwomen (individuals who transitioned from being a male). Opponents to inclusivity frequently cite the fairness argument, which can be represented in the following premises:

Premise 1: Competition should be as fair as possible. Premise 2: Biological males have an unfair physical advantage over biological females and transwomen are biological males. Logically speaking, the conclusion that follows is that it is unfair for competitive sports to pit transwomen against ciswomen. Are the premises valid and sound? Can we avoid the conclusion?

Premise 1: Competition should be as fair as possible.

According to UNESCO, fairness is one of the values of sport. 3 But what is fairness in this context? Some argue that no competition is fair because some people are gifted with genetic advantages. Because no competition is truly fair, fairness is arbitrary and hence does not matter. However, this argument is not constructive to the discussion and is unrealistic about how sports operate. There are reasons why competition is segregated by age, sex, abilities, and sometimes by weight. While there are inherent advantages or natural endowments that some possess, we still consider current competition to be fair. Indeed, fairness does not, and cannot mean being equal in every single aspect imaginable.

It is, therefore, more constructive to ponder at what point the advantage crosses the line from inevitable and acceptable to avoidable and unacceptable. [*See editor’s note.] Unfairness is where an advantage is intolerable and sufficiently morally troublesome to warrant elimination.4 It is sensible to say that competition should not be unfair, such that athletes would consider the pursuit of winning is worthwhile, and that the pursuit is far from hopeless. This should keep the athlete motivated to dedicate time and effort to their sports despite some differences between the competitors. With this in mind, let’s evaluate premise 2.

l Discussion on transgender issues in sport is complex and polarized. l It centres on fairness while assuming that inclusivity is the goal. l The author proposes various options that might achieve this while accepting that no solution will please all. l 體育中有關跨性別議題的討論是複雜而且容易偏向兩 極化的。 l 公平競爭是運動的核心價值，同時也有人認為運動需 要具有包容性。 l 就此，作者雖然提出不同建議，但也同意沒有一個方 案能夠滿足所有人。

Premise 2: Biological males have an unfair physical advantage over biological females and transwomen are biological males.

The performance gap between biological males and females in various sports is undeniable: 11-13% in rowing, swimming, and running, >20% in sports that involve extensive upper body contributions, and 3137% in weightlifting.5 Males are physically more capable because of hormonal, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular respiratory physiology differences. No amount of training nor fitness regimen could allow the best female athletes to compete meaningfully with males at the same level and that’s why we have men’s sport and women’s sport.

Are transwomen biological males? The biological sex of a person is defined by genetic, chromosomal, gonadal, hormonal, and phenotypic (including genital) characteristics,6 all of which are, by definition, binary: either male or female. Gender is a self-identified social construct that expresses a person’s experience and feelings about their gender role,7 although it is inherently related to biology.8 Transgender people are those who experience a different gender from that assigned at birth.9 Transwomen, especially those who transitioned after puberty, possess male biological characteristics. Although testosterone can be suppressed with ongoing hormonal therapy, the biological traits (genetics) and the male physique that come from going through male puberty do not disappear with transition. The fact that transwomen are biological males cannot be interpreted otherwise. Do transwomen have an unfair physical advantage against ciswomen? Joanna Harper, a transwoman athlete, scholar and advocate advisor to the Olympic Committee on Gender and Sport attested, “There's absolutely no question in my mind that transwomen will maintain strength advantages over cis women, even after hormone therapy,”10 There is no doubt that transwomen will lose some physical advantage after going through transition. Yet, a study found that mean muscle mass in transwomen after a year of cross-sexual treatment remained significantly higher compared to transmen.11

Should this kind of athletic advantage that transwomen have over ciswomen be considered unfair and intolerable, or fair and tolerable? This is a question for you to consider. Opinion on this question is diverse, as are the proposed ways to mitigate what is considered an unfair or unnatural advantage. Through finding ways to maintain the fairness of competition between transwomen and ciswomen, the logical conclusion of the argument can be avoided, and transwomen could be included in competitive sports.

Moving forward

One option is strict segregation according to biological sex so that women don’t have to worry about competing against the physical advantage of transwomen. But this may discourage some transwomen from competing at all if they cannot identify with their competitors. Furthermore, this creates another controversy because

transmen are biological women, but some may have taken hormone therapy to increase their testosterone level so that they can develop masculine characteristics.

A second option is a separate category for trans athletes. However, there would be a small number of entries and meaningful competition would be difficult. Moreover, it is hard to find enough athletes to form a trans-only team for team sports so opportunities for trans athletes to compete would be limited.12 There could also be safety concerns in certain countries for openly transgendered persons.

A third option is to have sport-specific regulations for trans athletes based on the sport-specific performance gaps between male and female summarized by Hilton and Lundberg.13 Different degrees of biological differences between males and females in different sports impact the fairness of transgender inclusion differentially. Thus, some sports may benefit from stricter regulations regarding trans athlete participation while others don’t. However, evidence-based regulations for each sport are needed to ensure fairness for both transgender and cisgender athletes and these would depend on further scientific research. A fourth option is to replace the men’s division with an “open division” for which a transgender athlete could qualify if they are not able to participate in the women’s division due to unfair biological advantages. The distinction of categories would rest on abilities rather than gender identity. However, where to draw the line for qualification for such a division would be tricky.

In conclusion, while transwomen possess biological advantages, questions regarding the nature of fairness and the point at which a physical advantage becomes unfair need further exploration. There should be more honest and civil conversations on how to meaningfully include trans athletes in competitive sports. Like all other controversial topics, there won’t be one satisfactory answer for all. But hopefully, with more research and empathy with trans athletes, the entire sports community can welcome their participation in competitive sports meaningfully and fairly.14

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Tiffany Tiu is a graduate in kinesiology and sports science from the University of Toronto.

Editor’s note

This is an argument about the distinction between natural and non-natural enhancements in sport. A fundamental question, therefore, is whether transitioning to become a transgender person is an artificial or a natural event.

Sources and notes

1. Tiu, Tiffany (2021). Sports: a must have for youth. Youth Hong Kong, 13(3), 36-37. 2. un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights 3. en.unesco.org/themes/sport-and-anti-doping/sports-values-education 4. Devine, J. W. (2019). Gender, steroids, and fairness in sport. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 13(2), 161-169. 5. Hilton, E. N., & Lundberg, T. R. (2021). Transgender women in the female category of sport: perspectives on testosterone suppression and performance advantage. Sports Medicine, 51(2), 199214. 6. Handelsman, D. J., Hirschberg, A. L., & Bermon, S. (2018). Circulating testosterone as the hormonal basis of sex differences in athletic performance. Endocrine reviews, 39(5), 803-829. 7. Handelsman, D. J., Hirschberg, A. L., & Bermon, S. (2018). Circulating testosterone as the hormonal basis of sex differences in athletic performance. Endocrine reviews, 39(5), 803-829. 8. The role of testosterone in gender development is well-established in research studies. See Hines,

M. (2006). Prenatal testosterone and gender-related behaviour. European Journal of Endocrinology, 155(suppl_1), S115-S121. 9. Jones, B. A., Arcelus, J., Bouman, W. P., & Haycraft, E. (2017). Sport and transgender people: a systematic review of the literature relating to sport participation and competitive sport policies.

Sports Medicine, 47(4), 701-716. 10. webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20210715/do-trans-women-athletes-have-advantages 11. Gooren, L. J., & Bunck, M. C. (2004). Transsexuals and competitive sports. European Journal of

Endocrinology, 151(4), 425-430. 12. wired.com/story/the-glorious-victories-of-trans-athletes-are-shaking-up-sports/ 13. Hilton, E. N., & Lundberg, T. R. (2021). Transgender women in the female category of sport: perspectives on testosterone suppression and performance advantage. Sports Medicine, 51(2), 199214. 14. This article is not meant to be an exhaustive discussion of fairness or all the possible ways to include trans athletes in competitive sport. A fuller version can be found online at