In 2023, transgender athletes competing in women’s and girls’ sports became an even more contentious topic, following Lia Thomas’ win of the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship the previous year.
Online and offline discussion raged over whether it was appropriate for transgender women to compete against athletes who shared their identity. The discussion was passionate, whether it was in high school, college, or the workforce.
This time, the discussion was far from over.
New Title IX Rules Released by the White House
In April, the new Title IX rules were implemented by the Biden administration.
In order to prevent schools and colleges from outlawing transgender athletes, the Biden administration issued new Title IX regulations in April. These regulations broaden the definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity.
No school or college receiving federal funding may be permitted to establish a “one-size-fits-all” policy that absolutely prohibits transgender students from participating in sports teams consistent with their gender identity under the department’s proposed rule. Such actions may be regarded as Title IX violations.
At the time, the plan received opposition from more than two dozen parties. The Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies, a diverse group of attorneys, subject-matter experts, families, civil rights organizations, and former education officials, wrote to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to warn him that the new regulations the Biden administration had planned unfairly restricted female athletes.
Transgender Female Athletes Not Permitted to Compete in Women’s Events at World Athletics
A broad perspective as athletes compete in the Women’s 10,000-meter race on day two of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships in London on August 5, 2017, at The London Stadium.
Transgender female athletes who have gone through male puberty will no longer be eligible to compete in world ranking competitions, according to a decision made by World Athletics in March.
Since there are no transgender athletes competing abroad, the worldwide governing body for track and field and other running-related athletic events stated that its decision would not have any effects on athletes at this time.
The Global Athletics Coaches Academy and Athletes’ Commission, Member Federations, the IOC, as well as representative trans and human rights organizations, all participated in a span of consultation with various stakeholders during the first two weeks of this year, according to the organization.
“The solution that was first put forth to stakeholders, which required trans athletes to maintain their hormone levels below 2.5nmol/L for 24 months in order to compete globally in the adult category, became apparent that there was little support within the sport.”
World Athletics has more than 10 years of research and evidence supporting the real benefits that these athletes bring to the adult category in terms of DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) requirements.
However, there are currently no transgender athletes competing globally in athletics, so there is no proof of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female athletic competition.
The Council “decided to promote fairness and the integrity of the adult competition before inclusion in these circumstances.”
Neil Degrasse Tyson explains during a debate about trans women’s competition in women’s sports.
World Aquatics Declares an “Open Category” but Cancels It Months Later
After a new policy that effectively prohibited trans women from competing in women’s events, World Aquatics announced in July that it would start an “open category” for trans swimmers to compete in for more than one year.
The new competition was scheduled to make its debut in Germany in October but was postponed due to the organization’s use of “zero” comments.
World Aquatics stated that they would continue to work on offering open category events in the future despite the lack of interest.
“Open Category activities will continue the World Aquatics Open Category Working Group’s work and commitment with the diving community.” The working group is planning to consider the possibility of including Open Category events at Masters events in the future, even if there is no recent desire at the elite level, they added.
USWNT Athletes Support Transgender Inclusion in Women’s and Girls’ Activities
Due to her final match against South Africa at Soldier Field on September 24, 2023, Megan Rapinoe takes the field in Chicago.
Over the course of time, transgender athletes in both women’s and girls’ sports have received support from U.S. sports stars Becky Sauerbrunn and Megan Rapinoe.
In an editorial published in February, Sauerbrunn criticized a Missouri law that would have prohibited transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams. She assured that playing with or against trans women and girls is not a risk to children’s sports,” the 37-year-old center-back wrote.
Rapinoe declared that she would back a transgender girl on the roster of the U.S. women’s national team.
“Absolutely,” she replied to Time in July. “You’re taking a ‘real’ person’s place, which is the part of the argument that is still incredibly homophobic. I consider transgender women to be
real women. You’re sort of telling on yourself already by saying that you don’t believe these people are women in the argument. They are now occupying the opposite space. That’s not how I feel.”
She was Reprimanded for Speaking Out, According to the School Area Sport Coach
Kim Russell, the soccer manager at Oberlin College, talks with Laura Ingraham about her article about transgender women participating in women’s sports.
In a video for the Independent Women’s Forum, Kim Russell, the head lacrosse coach at Oberlin College, broke her silence regarding the inclusion of transgender women in athletics.
The problem started when Russell reposted a title mockingly congratulating then-Virginia swim star Emma Weyant on her victory over transgender woman Thomas. “What do you feel?” Russell posed in the article. “I can’t keep quiet about this because I’ve spent my entire life participating in sports, starting, and coaching women’s and girls’ sports teams.”
Russell claimed that she was made fun of by her colleagues and teammates over the situation. She completed the 2023 season, but she is no longer the school’s current coach.
Trans Diver Breaks Record for the College
After three years of playing for the men’s team, a transgender swimmer at Ramapo College in New Jersey broke the school record next month.
At the Cougar Splash Invitational, a two-day competition between six colleges in Dallas, Pennsylvania, Meghan Cortez-Fields took first place and broke swimming records in the 100-yard butterfly. Her time was 57.22. Additionally, she placed first in the 200-yard individual medley and second in both the butterfly.
Cortez-Fields spent three years swimming on Ramapo’s men’s team before making her freshman season switch to the women’s squad. She expressed her admiration for Lia Thomas, a transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer who won an NCAA Championship in 2022, to The Ramapo News last year.
Teny Sahakian and Andrew Mark Miller from Fox News contributed to this article.
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