You know, over in Sara's blog, she posted about a triggering situation she has faced when it comes to being with a group of cisgender females and talking about women's health issues. That very issue was something I would fret about from time to time when thinking about pitfalls to come, sad as that is to say.
But what that discussion reminded me of most was the one issue that really bothers me. Upon which I feel, once I'm out, I would be uniquely qualified to opine... and yet I feel disheartened that I don't have a definitive opinion - trans athletes.
First of all, I 100% percent believe that any and everyone who wishes to participate in competitive or recreational athletics should be allowed to do so. Not only is it good for mind and body, team sports teach people how to win gracefully, how to lose, how to compete despite long odds, resolve conflict, work together, and learn about people with different backgrounds than their own - just to mention a few benefits.
And so to ban trans kids, teens or adults from that is to rob them of a key facet of human personal and social development.
What troubles me, is that there are some issues that do make things difficult.
To begin with, there are issues which are irrelevant:
lockerrooms: I have known cisgender male and female athletes who have had issues navigating the whole same-sex lockerroom / shared bathroom-shower thing. I have NEVER, EVER heard this issue have anything to do with sexual orientation, by the way. And while, sadly, there have not been a lot of openly gay college athletes... there are some coaches, and there are athletes with whom it was not a well-kept secret. And again, it was not an issue.
Those for whom it was an issue, learned to adjust. Waiting to shower, changing in a private part of the room, changing in the bathroom, etc etc. There is ALWAYS a work around. Teams always find ways to accommodate.
So should a trans athlete make a teammate uncomfortable, or vice versa, a team would adjust. This is truly an issue concocted by parents and/or right-wing media.
Physical advantages: While it is true that post puberty trans females will likely have more physical body mass, on average than the average cisgender female... this does NOT translate into athletic success in every, not even most situations. Plus, HRT treatment is a great equalizer.
As anyone in the athletic world knows, athletes who gain height suddenly are typically awkward and unable to control their bodies for several years. While those who grow more slowly have the advantage of honing their skills over the years to maximize performance. Similarly, a trans athlete, trans male or female, will often be like the growth spurt teen ... dealing with an unfamiliar body. Which is a disadvantage for some time.
Plus, on a more macro level - it could be argued that the break between men's and women's athletics is arbitrary in and of itself. There is a WIDE discrepancy in the range of both men's and women's athletes. And in fact if you put all athletes in a pool, and instead created the divisions as A and B - with A being for athletes of superior skill in a particular sport and B for lesser but still excellent skill in that sport... You'd likely find that Division A would be largely male in some sports, but a much more diverse gender mix in many others. And THAT would be the fairest system to everyone.
It will never happen, but if you want to argue fairness, then that's fairness in its purest form.
So what vexes me?
The issue is that until society catches up -- there is one thing that is unacceptable for a trans athlete. One unforgivable sin, above all others. Winning.
I think many of the people who object to trans athlete participation MIGHT acquiesce so long as the trans athletes didn't win anything.
The problem with that is ... If you're not allowed to win, then you're really not allowed to compete. And if you can't compete, you aren't really part of a team. And winning can also be construed as "winning" a roster spot, i.e. taking a "job" from a cisgender athlete. Again, the kind of thing that athletes celebrate, share with friends and family "I made the team!" - THAT is the thing that for which people would get angry at them.
So this gives me pause. How do we get around that? What is the solution?
Until the right moves on to other things and leaves these athletes alone -- I mean for goodness sake they claimed a trans female had an advantage in a DARTS tournament recently... I don't know how to just put blinders on and say "I whole-heartedly believe we should just throw trans athletes to the wolves and put them through this.
So as I said, I 100% support trans athlete participation. I believe there should not be any bans on their competing in any sports, at any levels... but part of me also wonders if this is the time to die on this hill or not. And whether those who are pushing this agenda are really putting these athletes in the best position to succeed or not.
*sigh* And thus my dilemma. If asked "how do you feel about trans athletes?" - I hope the person asking has 15 minutes for my response. And even then, they'll likely be more confused after hearing it then when they began.
Love,
Allie
