Susan's Place Transgender Resources

News and Events => Opinions & Editorials => Topic started by: Natasha on November 13, 2010, 10:30:22 PM

Title: A “Man” playing on a Women’s Sports Team
Post by: Natasha on November 13, 2010, 10:30:22 PM
A "Man" playing on a Women's Sports Team

http://unitedfamiliesinternational.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/a-%E2%80%9Cman%E2%80%9D-playing-on-a-women%E2%80%99s-sports-team/ (http://unitedfamiliesinternational.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/a-%E2%80%9Cman%E2%80%9D-playing-on-a-women%E2%80%99s-sports-team/)
11/12/10

So let's review:  Allums is a female who insists that she is a male and yet wants to continue to play on the women's basketball team.  A "transgendered male" is evidently in the process of obtaining hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgery and the George Washington University administration is patting themselves on the back for being so tolerant and inclusive.

So what about equity?  Looking at the differences in physical size and strength between males and females, is it fair to have females playing on a male team or males playing on a female sports team?  Throughout sports history, the answer to that question has been an unqualified "No" and there have been numerous policies and procedures put in place to prevent that type of inequity from occurring.  But it appears we may be entering "a brave new world."
Title: Re: A “Man” playing on a Women’s Sports Team
Post by: justmeinoz on November 14, 2010, 05:37:47 AM
Once HRT has finished with a Transwoman they are unlikely to be stronger than most cis-women anyway, and won't have the experience of the other players in traditionally female sports to have any advantage.
  Likewise a Transman will rarely be as large as cis-male players, and also lack match experience which would be a definite disadvantage in contact sports, so I can't see it being an issue in real life.

Maybe the issue of whether Hormones are performance enhancing drugs is more important. 
Title: Re: A “Man” playing on a Women’s Sports Team
Post by: cynthialee on November 14, 2010, 07:39:45 AM
I see it less of an issue of HRT than it is of a public relations nightmare for us.

He is a MAN. I don't care if he is not as strong as a man or if he even looks like a man yet. He is a man on a womans team.

I see his playing on a female team to be in poor taste and it doesnt help our cause when we insist we are the men and women we say we are. Who we know we are. Also it an invasion of womens space by a man. Having a vag is not the qualifying factor of woman, we know that and I suspect so does he. He is ussing his vag as the right to invade a womens place.
However......He is playing on a scholarship. I understand that but it still leaves a bad taste when I think of this.
Title: Re: A “Man” playing on a Women’s Sports Team
Post by: 28BROOK on November 14, 2010, 08:53:36 AM
I wonder what Imus has to say about this one? 

Actress Elizabeth Shue admits to being the only female member on a boy's soccer team at one time.

At one time locally high school soccer teams were made of up of boys and girls as schools didn't have enough female players to make up a team.  Coaches went out of their way to keep the girls playing time to a minimum.  Eventually our local high school signed a sports agreement with a parochial school to form an all girls team.

Meanwhile one or two local schools have enlisted the services of a female kicker for their boys football team at different times.

Then I believe there was the case of the boy who wanted to play field hockey but the sport was limited to girls.  I understand he was eventually allowed to play but had to wear a female uniform to play.

Brook