Transgender Equality in Sport
Sometimes my mind gets boggled by the inaccuracy of a strongly formed opinion. I always wonder where people are getting their information, wondering whether or not their algorithms are just playing off of confirmation biases to further cement a rhetoric. It makes me question my own reality and triple check the accuracy of my information sources, making sure that I’m not falling victim to that very same confirmation bias. It’s not surprising though, we live in a world of misinformation accessible at our fingertips. We all fall victim to misinformation in one way or another, which is why I feel that an individuals lived experience has insurmountable value.
Being transgender is not exactly a chosen experience. I think people are quick to assume that our changes are by choice, not out of necessity. I always knew I was different. Adamantly a “tomboy” growing up, I was frequently “othered” by my peers and even loved ones. I actively rejected the social norms of womanhood until I hit puberty, when it became impossible to hide my feminine changes. It was during that time I tried to fit in, finding success as an elite female athlete while enduring hell of living through a puberty that I never wanted.
It wasn’t until post-college that I came out as transgender and began my physical FTM (female to male) transition/gender affirmation. By July 2016, after 6 months of GAHT (gender affirming hormone therapy) I was passing 99% of the time as a male in society. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, “passing” means that people’s assumption about your gender matches your own gender identity (in my case, I perceive myself as a man and people see me as one) and “cisgender” means that your gender identity matches your sex assigned at birth.
Passing is a milestone that many transgender individuals yearn for because when you pass there is significant gender euphoria and relief. Suddenly society isn’t “othering” you, which not only makes it easier to interact in public, but safer too. Once I began passing the real me finally could show the hell up in all aspects of life, not just in competitive sports. I’ve been able to embrace the masculine parts of me and also fall in love with my femininity and queerness. I no longer feel trapped or burdened by an ostracization that for so long made me question my safety in society. People don’t test me on the daily like they used to when I was “othered”. Strangers rarely harasses me anymore; no one cat calls me, stalks me down the street, spits on me, calls me a faggot, she-man, dyke, or chases me out of the bathroom like they used to.
I’ll never forget my first USA Climbing National Championships event that I attended as Malcom. I walked into the men’s bathroom only to see a long line of guys, coaches and competitors that I have seen annually for years, all trying to get out the “nervous pee” just like myself. When I looked up into the faces of these guys, the faces that looked back were all smiles. People who have known me for years as Melissa, the jacked boulderer from the Northeast, now being affirmed as Malcom, the trans man and strong AF rock climber; all with the warm acceptance of smiles and safety to pee in peace. Never have I felt so much support, and in a men’s bathroom no less.
It is moments like these that have changed my life for the better and key memories that help me remember why I am fighting this fight for transgender equality. EVERYONE deserves the opportunity to feel gender euphoria and be safe in expressing their true selves, in the locker room and on the playing field.
As someone who has experienced both sides I can say for certain that athletics have saved my life. Having the opportunity to compete in co-ed sports and the continued support of my transgender climbing career has made my life worth living. It is proof that we can all exist under the same umbrella, in peace and competitive equality.
But not all of us get that luxury. The reality is, I am not the one being targeted here. Being perceived as a strong, athletic, young, white, cute, man gives me astronomical privileges in American society. Although I have had my share of transphobic harassment, it is my trans sisters and non-binary siblings who are feeling the most injustice. Transphobia, homophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia still run rampant in our everyday collective subconscious; so just because it isn’t happening to me anymore doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
For my own self-care and preservation, I have been taking a backseat in the conversation of transphobia in sports, but no longer. There is too much misinformation out there and it’s about time that I use my lived experience and exercise science background to set the record straight.
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What myths are being perpetuated throughout mainstream media?
Well let’s turn this one over to the experts. Here is a great infographic series brought to you by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).
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Ill-informed stereotypes are not only transphobic, they are deeply hurtful. In fact this rhetoric is so harmful to trans and gender non-conforming people that it has garnered a well-known a term; Trans-Exclusionary Radial Feminism (TERF). What’s more is that this TERF rhetoric has gone viral, presented by cisgender individuals who don’t understand the personal perspective of the trans body or the long terms effects that our medical transitions play a role in.
I’ll just point you to one of the most obvious viral TERFs out there- J.K. Rowling.
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Alrighty then, if transgender individuals are currently able to compete in the gender that is consistent with their gender identity in NCAA sports, under regulated IOC guidelines, and within other major sport organizations, then what is all the fuss about? Why is this coming up now?
Unfortunately there has been a rise of transgender discrimination and violence in the last few years, with reportedly high numbers of missing and murdered trans women of color. Right now there are dozens of states pushing anti-trans legislature, with little to no factual data to back up their transphobic rhetoric.
This is where I have found Ilya’s point of view in, “Transphobia in Sports: The Deeper Issue” to be incredibly helpful in answering these questions. If you want to know more about Ilya and his platform Decolonizing Fitness, check him out here: https://linktr.ee/decolonizing_fitness
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That’s great information and all, but what about the research, you know, that peer reviewed shiznit that normal people don’t get free access to?
One of the largest issues the transgender community faces is our current representation. Out of the peer reviewed research that has been done on trans bodies, most data on hormonal response and change is only collected for an average of 12 months. This is not only inconclusive data, the results provide an inaccurate depiction of what happens to the body throughout ones medical transition/gender affirmation. Simply put; the data needs to span several years, due to the significant length of an average hormonal puberty.
Not only do testosterone and estrogen produce a different physiological response; they also respond differently to time. For example, it is very common for an adult transgender male to go through much of their physical changes in the first 3-12 months on GAHT, meaning that they will most likely “pass” in society as male within their first year on GAHT. After the rapid onset of physical change, transgender men then go through another several years of slow and steady transition, which includes but is not limited to: growth of facial hair, body hair, bottom growth, hormonal responses in the brain, and fat redistribution. Conversely, adult transgender women have a more slow and steady hormonal change, with most of the physical changes taking place gradually between 6-24 months and therefore “passing” in society at a slower rate than transgender men. That does not mean that trans women have more of an advantage over their cisgender counterparts, it is just the nature of the hormonal puberty working itself out. When it is all said and done, trans people transition much like a beautiful butterfly; once in flight you’d have no idea that they were once a caterpillar.
Yet moving forward I can’t stress enough how important it is that we look beyond the binary of the stereotypical “male” and “female” athlete.
To drive this point home I’ll repeat my statement from an earlier slide,
“Every human body is different, even in if you are a [cisgender] man or woman, you have different levels of hormones in your body and it is going to affect you differently. Transgender is also a massive spectrum. You have some people who transition so early that they never go through their biological puberty, which will look incredibly different from someone transitioning in their 20s, 30s, or 40s. It depends on what hormones you are taking, how long, what your training age is, what the sport specificity is, your weight, height, and medical history [to name a few].”
Of course there are questions about fairness and equality in sport that are legitimate. The transphobia lies in the way the information is presented and defended. Yet I am certain that regulations can be modified to allow everyone, cisgender and transgender, to equitably participate in gender affirming competitive sport with their peers. Kind of hard to believe that we can’t, seeing as we have the science to send people to the moon and back again.
Why do we seek an answer that excludes marginalized communities? Why aren’t we asking the question: how can we modify our regulations to support equitable transgender participation in sports?
We are entering a new era, one where gender is being defined under the guise of an umbrella, rather than a boxed binary. Whether you are on board or not, trans people exist; we won’t be erased, and our fight for trans equality and representation will continue on.
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Update: 2/23/21
HRT (hormone replacement therapy) changed to a more accurate acronym, GAHT (gender affirming hormone therapy).
Includes “gender affirmation” as a more accurate term for ones “transition”.