'We're just trying to be comfortable': Transgender athletes consider participation debate
On a cold Melbourne winter night, Em Fox braves the cold for a leg workout.
Key points:
- Last month, FINA voted to limit the participation of transgender women in elite women’s competitions
- Dr Ada Cheung says the debate around transgender athletes is disproportionate to the perceived problem
- While some athletes are concerned about the impact of FINA’s policies, others are broadly supportive
He is happy to be here because 10 years ago he thought he would never play again.
“2012 was the last year I played in the men’s soccer competition,” he said.
“I’ve always found playing in the men’s team challenging, even though I may have come across as an outwardly masculine identity.
“It wasn’t how I felt, and being in a hyper-masculine environment was very uncomfortable.
“So when I decided not to play football anymore I thought it would have a lot of finality.”
She went on to become the first openly transgender woman in the women’s VFL. But tonight, she’s training with the University of Melbourne Women’s Soccer Club.
“The University of Melbourne Football Club had a lot of transgender athletes playing for this club long before I played women’s football,” she said.
“This place here is really cutting edge.”
It is estimated that one in 10 club members is trans or of various genders — including Em Collard.
“When I joined, I joined at a time when I wasn’t out yet, in terms of not being binary.
“So I guess I had the opportunity to make friends and then explore gender identity through that.”
However, not every club or sport is so welcoming.
Scientific evidence not completed
Last month, the world’s swimming body, FINA, decided to bar transgender women from elite women’s competitions if they had experienced part of male puberty.
The International Rugby League followed suit with a temporary ban, and cycling’s governing body set stricter rules around testosterone levels and transition times for transgender athletes.
The science group behind FINA’s policy found that transgender women retain a performance advantage over female athletes if they go through male puberty before the transition, but it’s not clear how to reach that conclusion.
Associate Professor Ada Cheung said there was not enough evidence available for evidence-based policy.
“I understand the need for people who participate in elite sports to have guidelines and policies,” he said.
Dr Cheung believes the debate around transgender athletes is disproportionate to the perceived problem.
“Even if you look at the Olympics … trans people have been allowed to participate since 2004,” he said.
“But since then, out of 71,000 Olympians, there have only been two openly transgender women competing, and one of them was last in line and the other was 37th out of 42.”
There are few publicly available studies looking at the impact of hormone therapy on performance, and those available have major limitations.
One often cited finding the only real performance gap after two years of feminizing hormones is that trans women run 12 percent faster on average — but that’s seen in U.S. military personnel, not athletes.
Another study found trans women who underwent hormone therapy generally maintained their strength levels after one year, but that was also not seen in athletes.
Dr Cheung said the evidence was not at all clear.
“I often use an analogy, if you imagine four-wheel drive but driven by a hatchback engine.
“So the muscle mass and muscle strength is low, but the skeleton is bigger.”
Achieving the right balance
Former pro golfer and trans woman Mianne Bagger widely supports FINA’s policies — a view that goes against much of the trans community.
She was the first open trans woman to play a professional golf tournament at the Australian Open in 2004.
“When I got into the sport, obviously there was a requirement for surgery and two years wasn’t eligible,” he said.
“In 2015, it changed to no surgery and 12 months ineligibility.
“Now, in some places, in some sports, it will just be self-identity without medical intervention. And that is completely unacceptable.”
Bagger has empathy for sports administrators as they try to create transgender policies that balance fairness and inclusion.
“Of course, everyone should have access to sport for sheer pleasure, society, benefit for personal life,” he said.
“Give kids access, find ways to get kids to play sports.
“But when you get to the level of elite sports – the Olympics, professional sports – it’s about people’s livelihoods, making money and medals.
“No matter what policies develop, someone will be discriminated against.
“And really, when it comes to women’s and girls’ sport, the only groups that shouldn’t be discriminated against are women and girls.”
Sports bodies continue to struggle with providing a level playing field for athletes.
But trans and gender diverse players like Em Collard say the debate about them and their bodies is simply not fair.
“What we’re trying to do is feel good in our own skin and be a part of our community and celebrate who we are as trans and gender-diverse people,” they said.
“So when people say really horrible things about us mutilating our bodies or something, trying to get an unfair advantage in sport, we’re not trying to do that at all.
#comfortable #Transgender #athletes #participation #debate
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