So, I've had moments in the past where I might have spent 30 seconds thinking about this subject but ultimately I don't give a fuck about competitive sports so my analysis usually ends up being, all competitive sports should be banned because competitive sports are dumb. Which is admittedly a neanderthal take.

But yeah, now the global athletic showdown is going down and seemingly everyone in my immediate vicinity keeps clutching their pearls and I guess I'm sick of not being able to advocate for trans comrades appropriately and articulate a proper response.

So what's a better response besides, "who cares?" Am I missing something? Like, if all things were equitable, what would or should competitions look like?

Help me out. I honestly have no idea.

  • booty [he/him]
    ·
    2 months ago

    If the problem with trans people competing is that the hormones give them an advantage, then we're discussing the wrong issue entirely. Why is it the women's category and not the x hormones above y level category? Because hormones are vastly varied by individual, and sex/gender only correlate to those hormone levels.

    But trans women are going to be taller on average than cis women! they say. Oh, you mean we should be segregating the sport by height categories, not by sex/gender? So a 5'7" man and a 5'7" woman can compete against one another fairly and that's the end of it?

    Nooo, they say, because something something lung capacity. Heart size. Bone density. And on and on they go, listing all kinds of physical characteristics by which the sexes generally but do not necessarily differ. And at each characteristic I ask the same question. So that's the one that matters, that's the category by which we should segregate sports, yes?

    I've never heard a satisfying response to this line of questioning.

    • LaughingLion [any, any]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Not only that but there is this inherit argument of "fairness". But there are a number of natural genetic conditions that give people an edge. I think in one study they found that women who compete in the Olympics in some sports had a particular genetic trait that was associated with larger muscle growth and higher testosterone and were over represented in sports at a rate of 140x the normal distribution in the general population. Is that fair for women who don't have this genetic trait? Should we bar women with this trait? The Olympics has said "no".

      Lastly, we are probably a generation or two away from genetically modified human beings in some capacity. This will be a whole other can of worms that will make the trans debate seem tame.

      • Beetle_O_Rourke [she/her, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 months ago

        Zero. China has modified twins to be immune to HIV.

        Edit: the scientist responsible spent three years in prison for it, so it's misleading to imply there was state backing. Still, it happened. CRISPR is one hell of a drug.

        https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a42790400/crispr-babies-where-are-they-now-first-gene-edited-children/

    • ashinadash [she/her]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Why is it the women's category and not the x hormones above y level category?

      Cisnormative dogma