This might not really apply to you and your beliefs, but I think it’s a discussion worth having and considering.
There are (were, I guess) trans woman competing. Why would their presence change their right to compete? Additionally, the studies are few and far between due to very low sample size, but there isn’t good evidence proving that trans women have a statistically significant advantage in women’s sports after being on HRT long term (2+ years). Most trans women that previously competed in men’s sports perform similarly compared to women after HRT as they did to men before.
The conservative “evidence” for trans women having an advantage is simply pointing and going “see!!” any time any trans woman places better than any cis woman, even if they’re well within the statistical range of women. If trans people are allowed to compete, are they allowed to ever win? In professional sports, getting lucky in the genetic lottery plays a large role in determining success. Katie Ledecky is incredibly successful due to her practice and training, but wouldn’t be nearly as successful without a body conducive to swimming. What’s the difference between a cis woman being born with broad shoulders and longer arms and a trans women doing the same? No one is transitioning for a competitive advantage. It’s a ridiculous notion. There really isn’t a good argument against trans women in sports that doesn’t rely on invalidating their gender or vibes-based cherry-picked pseudoscience.
This might not really apply to you and your beliefs, but I think it’s a discussion worth having and considering.
There are (were, I guess) trans woman competing. Why would their presence change their right to compete? Additionally, the studies are few and far between due to very low sample size, but there isn’t good evidence proving that trans women have a statistically significant advantage in women’s sports after being on HRT long term (2+ years). Most trans women that previously competed in men’s sports perform similarly compared to women after HRT as they did to men before.
The conservative “evidence” for trans women having an advantage is simply pointing and going “see!!” any time any trans woman places better than any cis woman, even if they’re well within the statistical range of women. If trans people are allowed to compete, are they allowed to ever win? In professional sports, getting lucky in the genetic lottery plays a large role in determining success. Katie Ledecky is incredibly successful due to her practice and training, but wouldn’t be nearly as successful without a body conducive to swimming. What’s the difference between a cis woman being born with broad shoulders and longer arms and a trans women doing the same? No one is transitioning for a competitive advantage. It’s a ridiculous notion. There really isn’t a good argument against trans women in sports that doesn’t rely on invalidating their gender or vibes-based cherry-picked pseudoscience.