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Cake day: August 3rd, 2023

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  • Okay? So what are the rules then? Only trans people that started transitioning before a certain age? Or has been transitioning for a certain number of years? Or should we measure bone density, muscle density, estrogen, testosterone, other various hormones, etc? What if they were a competitive athlete before transitioning? Is it transphobic to ask a person to prove they meet these requirements? Because apparently, based on the mods here, it’s transphobic to even consider that a person who was born a man might have a physical advantage over someone born a woman.

    It’s not like all athletes taking PEDs are better than all of their natural counterparts. But it does afford them an unfair advantage. So we ban their use. A trans person could have an advantage that is the result of them being born a man. This is real and has happened. The existence of that possibility is no different than the possibility an athlete would be superior as a result of PEDs.


  • That must be why we’ve repeatedly seen instances where trans women set records within the women’s category of their respective sport! Because it’s all equal and impossible for a trans woman to have an advantage.

    Listen, I’m all for keeping things equal. And at the end of the day there are many cases where a cis gendered woman could beat a cis gendered man at a sport. But let me draw a parallel.

    Not all male athletes that use performance enhancing drugs are able to beat all of their natural male counterparts. Male athletes on PEDs that do beat their natural counterparts are not necessarily entirely dependent on those drugs to win. Skill still plays a massive role. Even in the world of powerlifting and bodybuilding, athletes on PEDs still need to train hard and put in a ton of work to achieve their results.

    So why are PEDs banned? Because we know that the individual taking them could have an advantage relative to themselves. If they had never taken PEDs in the first place, they likely wouldn’t be as big/strong/fast.

    So how do you logically apply that same thought to someone who has transitioned from male to female? How long have they been transitioning? Are they taking estrogen? Has their body adapted? Should we start measuring bone and muscle density, testosterone levels, and other biomarkers just to determine if they get to participate? What about individuals who transitioned later in life vs early? What if most of their athletic training was before they transitioned, similar to a player taking steroids in the off season? How do you define the line, the point where you can confidently say this person is definitively on par with where they would be if they were born a woman?

    This is not a simple straight forward question. And while we try to figure it out, women who are just trying to enjoy their respective sport are occasionally dunked on by people who are the exception to the rule. Records are set that will likely not be broken. And that’s not fair