Article re:(trans)gender/sex controversy in sport

JusticeZero · Black Belt

http://www.theestablishment.co/2016/12/13/no-female-trans-athletes-do-not-have-unfair-advantages/
This hits a lot of points, most of which apply to the cis population that you see in class more. Lots of links.

It covers the basic issues seen in competitions recently where transgender athletes are competing.. Including the fact that that they actually have a disadvantage because the best rulesets so far restrict testosterone levels tightly (completely reasonably), but those restrictions aren't present on cisgender athletes who often have natural testosterone levels that are above "normal".

This was most highlighted by Caster Semenya during the Olympics; there is no good way known to equalize competition to be a pure test of skill when people with wildly outlier biology come into play.

And then there's always the potential nightmare of a nonbinary intersex person with ambiguous biology trying to enter athletics. I'm not sure that a solution will appear if we simply wait for such cases to come about to think about them.
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Bulltahr · Brown Belt

Interesting. A prickly one for sure, maybe a separate class, like Invictus (military vets games).
Everyone would be in the same situation in this case.

I noticed that the article mentions that trans women have to wait 12 mths to compete, but trans men can compete immediately. I am assuming that this is so because they assume that the trans man will not be as strong as other men.....
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JusticeZero · Black Belt

Transgender men are starting at the level of cisgender women, and there is no category where cisgender women are more muscular than cisgender men.
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"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." - Baleia

DWx · Black Belt

Interesting article Justice, thanks for sharing.

JR 137 · Black Belt

These decisions are made by endocrinologists and the like who are reknowned experts in their field. The IOC has relatively unlimited resources when it comes to important matters such as this. That's not to say they're perfect and beyond questioning and reproach by any means though.

There's a ton of factors in why they choose what they choose as an acceptable range and duration. On the surface it doesn't seem to make much sense, but if we were to sit in on a meeting and hear and understand the thought process, I'm sure it would make sense. I'm quite sure they didn't choose arbitrary amounts. Without scientific validation, I'm quite sure they'd be opening themselves up to severe litigation and lawsuits. And deservingly so.

DWx · Black Belt

twistkick kid · Orange Belt

All very interesting points brought up by members and the articles alike

I am a transgender man and when I spoke with my endocrinologist about competitions, she told me to hold off on competing in sparring events until my T levels had stabilized (about 18-24 months into transition), but she told me I could compete in Kata and Weapons Kata at any point. Her reasoning was that during the first 18-24 months of HRT, one's levels can be incredibly unpredictable (and might even run too high or low), especially if you're adjusting dosages or having surgery to remove ovaries/uterus/associated bleedy bits. She also didn't want me to be put in a class where (based on appearance) I was having to spar females, as I didn't really have much of a change in body shape or a voice drop until about 8 months into my HRT regimen.

Speaking from my own experiences, I had massive level changes (going too high) after I had my ovaries and uterus out, so much so that we had to halve my T dosage.

She said now that I've been on T for 2 years (as of 15 December 2016), I would be able to try my hand at tournament level sparring. Due to Injury and surgery, I won't be trying my hand at competitive sparring till at least December 2017
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Shaolin Kempo, 1st Dan (earned 3 July 2018 in China)
ITF Tae Kwon Do, 2nd Dan (earned 6 June 2009 in San Diego, CA)

Almost 20 years of martial arts training in total

JusticeZero · Black Belt

If I had to guess at the low number, it would be to correct for people taking antiandrogens right before their test. I remember in high school when we would game with one of the guys on the wrestling team, and he would be annoyed before every match at having to both fast and dehydrate himself before every weigh in. Some days he would visit and grump a lot at being hungry and thirsty but not being allowed to eat or drink until after weigh in for a match. This seems no different.
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