Gender glitch in rules

JusticeZero · Black Belt

http://www.outsports.com/2017/2/20/14670616/transgender-wrestler-mack-beggs-texas

This article is about high school wrestling in Texas, clearly martial arts related in this regard. One of the wrestlers is a transgender boy on hormone replacement therapy, and as such receiving testosterone supplements to bring him up to the normal levels for a boy of his age.

According to Texas's rules on wrestling, he has to wrestle in the division associated with his assigned sex at birth. He would rather wrestle boys, but that is not allowed. He is very good at wrestling - what portion is testosterone related and what portion is skill I leave for the grapplers, but I assume it is a mixture. He wins. This creates a controversy that is a bit silly.

Probably something to look out for proactively in your own organizations. The Olympics etc. already made inclusive policies to cover situations like this. I don't know how much of an issue this might be for other groups, but with gender identity being an issue for 0.6% of people these days and median transition age dropping, it is likely to become one eventually.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

A very difficult situation across the board. Not being any easier, for sure, with President Trump ruling that things similar like this are no longer a Federal concern, but a State concern instead.

On the part that I'm quite ignorant in things like this, and please forgive me of that, and I'm not on any sides whatsoever, but, in a very, very small way, I do understand their reason(s), however, that doesn't mean that their reasons are ok!!

People are afraid of that which they don't understand, and/or believe in. That too, doesn't mean that decisions made out of incomplete knowledge are correct either. However, what's one to do. You want tomatoes, then go to a tomato vendor. Meaning that, if one wants to participate in whatever it might be, that individual has to abide by the rules and regulations, and in this regards, the wrestling's governing body, whomever they might be.

In my dojo's as well as in our Hombu, any and all transgendered student are welcomed!! I/we will not allow any prejudice to exist at any level; none whatsoever. I/we are there to teach, and not to pass any ill-judgement against any individual; that's not why I/we teach. To improve the MA betterment of each student without any bias being attached whatsoever, and not to be concerned with each one's privacy, as one's privacy must be protected, for their privacy is their given right to pursue unabated without free of it being stalled and/or interrupted in its full course.

While we might be living in a cynical world, we have several choices...

1) Accept
2) Deny
3) Fight

I choose to fight until the fight is lost!! I accept that which I can't change, but in that same light, I deny the strongholds set against my fellow man/woman, and until the final decision(s) are made, I'll fight for what I believe is the right thing to do.

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time” ~John Lydgate

This shall always complicate man's/women's thought way long after I've shed my mortal coil!!

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

DWx · Black Belt

I think the IOC rules are pretty good in this regard. Testosterone is an advantage so if you are a trans-male, the IOC say you start at a physical disadvantage so it is OK for you to compete in the male category. Trans-female athletes do start with an advantage (i.e. testosterone), so the IOC says they have to compete in the male category until their T levels are below 10 for 12 months.

If I was a girl in the category this kid is competing in, I would be arguing that he should compete as a boy as it would be unfair advantage really.
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"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius

JusticeZero · Black Belt

Agreed. That said, 10 is pretty low T. I mean, so far I only have mine down to 24, which is lower than most of the women around me. Regional lower stakes competition can probably use a more lenient standard. By means of comparison, my husband's T is at the upper end of normal, not uncommon for an athlete, and is slightly above 800.

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