With the introduction of transgender people into athletics, the landscape of women’s sports is greatly changing. In some cases, biologically female athletes are coming in second in athletic events in which they compete alongside transgender athletes. These individuals were assigned female at birth and now identify as male. The reality of many biologically female athletes is that competing against people who were once male puts them at a severe disadvantage. The debate over whether transgender female athletes should be permitted to compete according to their gender identity is a complex issue. Often, this argument is rooted in religion and whether it is morally acceptable to be transgender. However, the debate over trans-female participation …show more content…
The Cato Institute reports, “Those opposed to this type of competition believe this ‘commingling’ is a direct assault on landmark Title IX (prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any school or educational program receiving funding from the federal government) of the 1972 federal Education Amendments and marks the beginning of the end of women’s sports as we know it (Weisman). The main purpose of instituting Title IX was to make athletics fairer for women and ensure they were on a level playing field as male sports programs. It would be unfair to allow individuals who were once male to enter into the same categories as women because of their physical advantage. In allowing transgender women to compete in the female category, the justice for biological females that was fought for goes out the window. Biological women should be competing against biological women because it is the most physiologically fair way to conduct sports competitions. Transgender women should not be allowed to compete in sports according to their gender identity because this would undermine the athletic efforts and sacrifices of biological women. Generally speaking, athletes devote energy and effort when competing in athletics because they want to come out on top. Because trans female athletes show a scientific advantage in athletic ability, it would be unjust for biological females to compete against them. An example of this disparity is Selina Soule, a former track and field high school athlete in Connecticut, a state that permits transgender athletes to participate in sports according to their gender identity. Soule says that she competed against transgender athletes many times and never won and complains that these races were never fair. She also reports that in a specific race, if two trans athletes had not been in her heat, she
When a woman or man joins a non-traditional sport for their gender or sex, it can have drastic social and cultural costs. These impact not just the individual but also the entire community. When a person challenges the gender roles of society, then they change the perceptions of what men or women are capable of doing, they further androgynize cultural norms, and they open up sports for others.
Her ideas challenged my previous opinion in that I believed that in order for a transgender athlete to play for their non-biological sex was solely to undergo a complete sex. Prior to researching this topic, I was unaware of other methods such as hormone therapy that were available to transgender athletes. Through Castillo’s informative article, I was able to understand that other options are available in order to maintain the fairness and equality throughout athletics. While Castillo argues that transgender athletes must complete at least one year of hormone therapy, Canadian Blogger, Keph Senett, argues otherwise. In her essay, “Where Do Transgender Athletes Fit Into Sports?” which was published in newsletter Matador Network, Senett argues that transgender athletes must complete a full sex change before even considering competing for the opposite sex. Senett’s article did not add much more to my original opinion, nor did it challenge it in any
In the world of sports, it is fairly obvious that people have experienced many costs, including insults, ridicule, and lack of acceptance, but the benefits gained are much more vital to sports and the future of athletics. Competing in sports that are non-traditional to one's gender can only make society stronger, and our culture more unified.
Since 1972, sports have slowly undergone major changes that prove well today. Title IX has helped girls and women have more of an advantage on the athletic fields. “The Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 says that no person in the United States, based on gender, can be excluded from participating, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any educational program.” (Athletics). It allows for both men and women to play sports whether it is a girl on the football or wrestling team, a boy cheerleading, or even gymnastics. Title IX builds confidence, has helped women have a chance in sports, and has equal opportunities for both sexes.
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 Rights Campaign has been started to achieve equal rights for all Americans including the LGBQ community. A serious injustice is in the world of sports. Professional sports are one of societies major traditions totally based on rules and regulations that are meant to preserve the integrality of the games, but may not be inclusive to all its players.
Discrimination of women has been going on throughout the world since almost the beginning of time. Since the year of 1972, the United States of America has passed a law called title IX, which has improved women’s rights drastically. Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”(Office) Within a college/university or any federal financially assisted program title IX is applied. Women are to be treated equally and are given the opportunity to be involved in all activities that men are offered. Title IX has changed a women’s life in a positive way with the changes that have affected many women attending a college or university. Schools have to allow women in any classes that are offered but for sports it is a bit different. The school has to offer the same number of opportunities for women sports as men sports. Some have said that this will cause schools to cut some of the men’s sports to allow for equal numbers. “Overall, men's athletic opportunities since Title IX's passage have increased,” said the Women’s Sports Foundation.(Women’s) Many say that this is unfair to remove some of the men’s athletics, but is it fair that the women do not have to same opportunities that the men do? Title IX is not all about athletic equality; it also is involved in the classrooms and on the campuses of the college or university. Several main issues that title IX has improved are sexual harassment, equality in the classroom, equality in extracurricular activities and self-confidence in women.
Many people in society argue about the unfairness of transgenders competing in sports. Transgenders should be able to be on the sports team that matches their gender identity with medical documents proving they have gender dysmorphia. Many other athletes would argue that transgenders being able to compete in sports is unfair. A transgender woman who has higher levels of testosterone than the other women might seem to have an advantage over the other female athletes. Transgender women might have a little bit of an advantage, but they truly feel as if they are women, so they should be able to compete as women.
To Deborah Brake, Title IX caused a problem in school sports. This federal law Prohibits discrimination based off a persons sex. She discussed how to equalize school sports considering the physical differences in males and females. There are two different viewpoints on this issue. Some people simply think there can be gender integrated sports while others think gender segregated sports are better.
Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women's sport. Quest, 53,115-133.
Can a level playing field exist when athletes transition genders? What are the real costs of winning when the rules are changed in the game? As a female who plays sports, men should not compete in women’s sports, especially transgender men. Men are biologically stronger than women so when a man is competing against women they have a way higher chance of winning so it would not be a fair competition. Men outperform women when it comes down to ability and physical activity.
Gender inequality in the United States is a serious problem, and it is often overlooked. It is a big issue, especially within sports. We live in a society where our culture prefers men 's sports over women 's. Labeling activities as feminine and masculine is a social construction based on stereotyped expectations regarding gender and perceived gender differences (McCullick, 2012). In 1972 Title IX was passed stating that, no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. This opened up athletics to women and girls (Education Amendment Act of 1972, 1972). Although
Although this is not right, everyday more and more men are competing against women and this will continue to happen, if no one speaks up and sees an issue with this situation. Many different leveled female athletes are getting their athletic futures torn apart because of men claiming female titles that they are undeserving of. High school, college, and Olympic female athletes are having a hard time advancing and becoming known in their sport because males who claim to be transgender are coming into female sports wanting every win and everything that has to do with that particular sport to be about them. Some desire for others to associate female sports with the biological male athletes and subsequently their athletic achievements including wins and advancements. Additionally, they want to be best known for that sport, but for all of the wrong reasons.
Cis women athletes who want to compete in a professional level are not going to be given a fair chance to succeed and to work up to the top when transgender women who biologically have the body of a male are competing against them. A born male who identifies as a woman and competes as a woman who does not take any hormones makes the situation even more unfair because this means the transgender women competing as a woman has the body structure of man, same level of testosterone of a man, and strength of a man. The reason why this situation is such dilemma is because high schools clearly states that women are to compete in the women’s sports and men are to compete in the men’s sport but as to how genders are defined remains unclear. The book Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sports by Eric Anderson goes into depth about people have started to identify as transgender, the sport policies placed for transgender athletes, some background, and it is a new concept on how some people identify themselves. Consequently, it makes it difficult to know where to place transgender people when it comes to sports.
Now, more than any other period of time; equality has become a hot topic of discussion. One of the major talking points involves the rights of women to be allowed to compete with men in sports on the same or opposing teams. To begin with, let’s ponder if there’s even a demand from the general public for women to be allowed to play on male sports teams. Very few athletes in sports are barely even bothered about the fact women can’t compete with males in their respective sports. If there is no true desire to break down the gender barrier, then it only makes sense to force an unneeded change.
Although women have been accepted within the participation in sports and physical activity, there is still constant controversy surrounding the topic of whether or not female sports can be “considered a ‘real’ sport” (Hall, M. Ann, 2007, pg. 56) or if the female participants can be “viewed as ‘real’ women” (Hall, M. Ann, 2007, pg. 56). This is due to the fact that sports and physical activity has invariably been viewed as strictly for males, to aid in validating their masculinity. It is constantly vocalized that sports considered to be ‘feminine’ ones such as