Should Transgender Athletes Compete in Sports?

The world of athletics has been built around a binary view of gender. The distinction between genders is obvious: there is women’s sport and there is men’s sport. However, in reality, gender biology is not black and white – there is a multitude of ways to be human. The separation of men’s and women’s sport leads to a large population of athletes getting stuck in the middle. There is a growing social acceptance of transgender and intersex individuals in society, however, when it comes to sport these individuals are often left isolated on an island of controversy. The majority of this controversy surrounds the debate of whether or not transgender and intersex females should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. Society does not have a

I believe that transgender athletes pose major issues regarding keeping sports accomplishments untainted.  For example a world class male sprinter would destroy the female records, but he'd be considered an average male sprinter. The same holds true for the military based on the fitness requirement for females.  The only people that are going to be pushed beyond their physical limitations are the females transitioning to

Society has created this normality that it is okay to discriminate against transgenders. Making statements that they do not belong and changing their sexual orientation is not right. In our modern society, however, some people have come to either accept, or at least acknowledge that transgenders are people just like you and me. Now, take all of these issues of discrimination and add in the dynamic of sports. Should transgenders be allowed to play a sport during or after their

Transgendered people in America have made many great strides since the 1990s. They have encountered violence, lack of health care, and the loss of homes, jobs, family and friends. There have been many phases of the struggle of being transgendered in America over the years. The current phase we must be in now is equal rights. There are many variations of discrimination against the transgendered community. In our society we simply do not like what we do not understand. It is easier to discriminate than to try and understand. We are all created different and we should appreciate our differences. The change must come by addressing the views of the public. There is much justification in the unequal rights of transgendered peoples. The Human

Sports have been a large part of society throughout history. They have brought out happiness, joy, hard work, determination, and teamwork in the individuals that have participated in them. However, there have been negatives involved with sports throughout history also, including gender roles, which are defined as the public image of being a particular gender that a person presents to others. These roles have been created by society and passed down from generation to generation, informing one another of false beliefs that say that one gender, usually males, are better than females. In sports, these often say that women have significantly lower performance levels, show less drive and that women see competition as unnecessary. In reviewing the initial beliefs and problems before Title IX, the role of Title IX, the problems still existing today, and the modern movement, it is seen that progress has been made, but also that there is also more to do.

Results show that participants with a background in sports have a greater advantage over their contenders with no familiarity about sports, in applying for sports related jobs. In the case of the transgender/transsexual participants, playing sports helps to deal with society’s biases against them. Transgender participants become comfortable playing sports, because they gain acceptance, and experience equal treatment from their team mates. They do not feel discriminated against because they are judged like others, thus based on their play, skills set and so on and not based their choices. For students and people doing activities requiring physical ability, sports contributed to achieving success in their various fields of endeavor. For example, archaeology students doing excavation work, and a geography student who has to climb, break and carry rocks. In life threatening situations, athletes have been able to apply knowledge gained in playing sports to save themselves. For instance some participants have suggested that, during the Calgary floods in 2013, they swam to safety. They said if they did not know how to swim, they probably will be dead by now. I noticed all participants wore the right apparel, gear and used equipment the proper way. The instructors and coaches were always around and insisted on doing everything rightly with the right tools. Some (60%) of the players had knowledge about first aid and knew exactly what to do in times emergencies. For example, in one of our volleyball matches, a participant twisted her ankle and she was giving first aid by another player and the coach. For the mum whose child has Down syndrome, her child was so indiscipline and had a very deviant and defiant behavior. The only time it is easier to control the child is

Within sport, as throughout society, gender differences exist. The socially constructed phenomenon of gender dictates a dichotomous system whereby females are feminine and males are masculine. Focusing on females specifically, society determines the feminine traits and roles ascribed to this gender. Being domesticated, slender, passive and heterosexual are a part of the desirable appearance that society has formed surrounding femininity (Wolf, 1991). On the other side of the dichotomy is the masculine realm that sport plays into. Sport is fuelled by muscle, power and aggressiveness, which are behaviours and images associated to masculinity. Sport therefore, defies all existing female gender ideals. It would be assumed that females have no place within this institution due to the gender clash. However, female athletes do exist, and many are very successful. For this to work, sport has established and reinforced the social constructions of gender that exist in society. Female athletes are viewed as inferior and are pushed into gender appropriate sports. Furthermore, they are often labeled as masculine until they can prove otherwise, and so great attempts are made to reassert femininity. The stigma associated to being masculine or homosexual for female athletes is so great that many have become irrationally fearful of this label. The sexualisation of the female body and overt displays of heterosexuality are used in

Throughout history, woman have been fighting for equality with men. This fight isn’t over and doesn’t stop with the right to vote or the right to wear pants. The progressive movements of feminism are starting to creep into younger generations, including, but not limited to young girls wanting to play on predominantly male-dominated sport teams. There are a lot of controversies when looking at this topic, saying there’s a natural strength advantage, it would be uncomfortable for a male to compete alongside females, among other reasons but ultimately, if the drive and effort is present, there are legal rights and no legitimate reason for woman to not be given the opportunity to prove themselves and normalize the incorporation of females to male sports.

Let us go back to Renée Richards, why was Richards able to play in a woman’s sport after going through surgery and becoming a woman? The answer lies in the process, Richards went through surgery which included hormone treatment. Zack Ford, a writer for Thinkprogress.org published a piece on August 8, 2016, entitled, No, Allowing Transgender Athletes to Compete Won’t Destroy Women’s Sports. Ford makes some very compelling arguments and points out that many different organizations already allow transgender athletes to compete and they have not had any problems. Ford points out that women sports already have women with a physiques that seem to be a huge advantage, like 6’ 8” Brittany Griner in the WNBA. Ford’s major flaw is that sites the Olympics as one of the

The Olympics have been around since the late 19th century and have alternated between winter and summer games every two years. Constant changes have been made over the years resulting in better competition and sometimes worse. One of the most recent and biggest changes has to do with the athletes participating in the games and the rules for who is able to participate. Michelle Castillo’s article, “Why Transgender Athletes Should be Allowed to Compete as the Gender of Their Choice”, discusses the previous ruling for transgender athletes in the Olympics and what they were required to do in order to compete. She states, “...the International Olympic Committee in 2004 allowed transgender athletes to compete in the gender they transitioned to. The athletes are required to complete surgical reassignment surgery and undergo at least two years of

A weakness to Skyes’ article would be the fact that our society is very judgemental. Sports organizations fear the classification process of transsexual and transgender athletes into mainstream sporting events. Although most people will say they are for the equality of others, in reality many people in our society do not approve of transsexual and transgender people. These non-binary athletes may never be fully accepted into mainstream sports if sporting organizations continue to fret about anxieties these

When women decide to participate in sports traditionally for men such as bodybuilding, they risk the chance of being socially stereotyped as lesbians, or simply viewed as "less feminine" then say women figure skaters. For example, Venus Williams is seen as criticized for being very masculine in build and judged on that by her performance. The media has commented on how well she plays, and has compared her to men in her sport. She receives fewer endorsements than many other tennis players do because of her looks (but mainly due to her race).

Sexism limits our country. In a world where sexism still exists, women face challenges every day as they choose to embark in athletic activities. Even with the efforts of Title IX, which was established in 1972, there is not equality in sports for men and women. Sexism is real with stereotypes and discrimination on the basis of sex. Even with the high level of success reached by numerous female athletes of many different sports, male athletes always seem to have the upper hand. Whether it is pay, media, support, gear, or playing grounds, one sex always has the better of the two. Male athletes dominate a field that truly is shared by both sexes. What if we treated male athletes the way we treat female athletes? That is a world hard to imagine, and honestly, it shouldn't be. Through female athletes sharing their stories of unfair treatment and pay, sexism and generations of inequality in sports can be overcome.

100 years ago, the question of whether someone was male or female was never controversial. Today, between transgenders, cross dressers, and steroid pumping athletes, the simple definition of male and female has begun to blur. New lines are being drawn to determine what classifies someone to a specific gender. Is it anatomy, or the gender one identifies as? Dutee Chand identifies as a women and possesses the body of a female. But inside, her body creates an excess of testosterone, a chemical specific primarily to men’s bodies. This wouldn’t be an issue, except Chand is a professional sprinter and the excess testosterone could give her a competitive advantage. It is moral to let Chand race because the purpose of competitive track and field is to determine who is naturally superior and to provide athletic activity for all and Aristotle would reason she should race because she is one of the best at her craft, and she shouldn’t be put at a disadvantage running against men just because she has a natural advantage over women. Chand is gifted at running, so she should be able to use her talent. She should be able to use her competitive advantage for her own gain because competition will never be fair.