Are the females told to be quiet on the transgender issue? Let’s find out.
Tags: Women, Pride, Pride Month, Transgender

Are the females told to be quiet on the transgender issue? Let’s find out. Fuzia Jun 17·5 min read

Although the stigma around the transgender community is slowly taking a back seat, their participation in sports is under debate. Our offices are becoming more LGBTQ+ friendly, but the trans community is at a disadvantage in the field/ring. Unfortunately, there are two sports categories: men and women, and transgender people can only compete in either of them. This has invited criticism from fellow teammates, opponents, and the sport organizing committees in the past. With the Olympics just around the corner, the debate has resurfaced.

Laurel Hubbard, a 43-year-old transgender weightlifter from New Zealand is poised to represent her country in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She will be the first transgender to participate in the Olympic events. She transitioned in 2013 and has been allowed to compete in the women’s category.

Before her final selection, she must still satisfy the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) of her fitness and performance standards. This has divided the weightlifting community and drawn criticism from many.

Ex weightlifter, Tracey Lambrechs says that female athletes are being asked to stay quiet about this issue. “I’m quite disappointed, quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot”. “We’re all about equality for women in sport but right now that equality is being taken away from us. I’ve had female weightlifters come up to me and say, ‘what do we do? This isn’t fair, what do we do? Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do because every time we voice it we get told to be quiet,” she added, as reported by TVNZ.

(Laurel Hubbard and Anna Vanbellinghen: NY post)

Belgian weightlifter, Anna Vanbellinghen, who also competes in the +87kg division said that she fully supports the transgender community, but the principle of inclusion should not be “at the expense of others”. “Anyone that has trained weightlifting at a high level knows this to be true in their bones: this particular situation is unfair to the sport and to the athletes,” as reported by insidethegames.

Hubbard has been eligible for the Olympics since 2015 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed transgender athletes to compete as women if their testosterone levels were less than 10 nanomoles per liter for at least 12 months prior to their first competition.

However, the scientists argue that this does very little to reduce the biological advances for the athletes who have gone through puberty as a male, such as bone and muscle density. On the other hand, transgender allies say that “the process of transition decreases that advantage considerably and that physical differences between athletes mean there is never a truly level playing field in sport”.

There have been instances in the past where transgender athletes have faced unequal treatment in various sports. In 2018, the Australian weightlifting federation sought to ban Hubbard from competing in the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, but the organizers didn’t allow it. Last year, World Rugby completely banned transgender athletes from the game, citing safety reasons.

Even after passing all the requirements for selection, Hubbard is facing criticism for pursuing a sport she so dearly loves and is good at. The point female athletes are making is also valid. After all, one of them will lose out on a spot if Hubbard is selected. So how can the sports organizers strike a balance between women’s sports and letting the transgender athletes participate in a meaningful way? To this, the IOC said that they reviewing the guidelines to take into consideration the “perceived tension between fairness/safety and inclusion/non-discrimination”. They want to ensure that the athletes can engage in fair and safe competition, regardless of their gender identity and/or sex characteristics.

The LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender people, have to go through a difficult process coming in terms with their gender identity. They are stigmatized by society, shunned by their loved ones, and if they go through a transition, it is both physically and mentally taxing. On top of that, they have to fight for a place in sporting events that they truly deserve. This raises the questions like- Why do we only have men’s and women’s categories in sports and other areas when gender identities extend far beyond that? Why can’t we have an open category and encourage people of all genders and sexes to participate?

We cannot, however, ignore the position of female athletes in this scenario because they have worked hard to get to where they are now. Hubbard deserves to pursue the sport without having to compromise on her gender identity and who she really is. But so do the female athletes who might miss out on the opportunity. We obviously cannot take sides here and must instead wait for policymakers to come up with a viable solution.

Bangladesh got its first transgender TV news anchor in Tashnuva Anan Shishir recently. Read her story here. You can also check out our other blogs on the website. Join the Fuzia community today to connect with some like-minded individuals. Sign up here.

Image credits: Google