In recent years the discourse related to if transgender athletes should be allowed to compete based on their gender identity has been brought up more often, which makes sense considering how difficult it is to find a perfect solution for it. Trans women are women and trans men are men that isn’t the question here whatsoever, however it can still be difficult for women to compete on the same level as biological men. We know it as a fact that biologically men tend to be physically stronger than women, this is due to men having a higher peak bone density, on average more muscle mass relative to bodyweight due to testosterone and oftentimes have longer arms/legs relative to their height. Of course this isn’t always the case and there are many sports and athletes where the women excel past the men. However the general physical advantages that men have are the main reason for concern when it comes to athletes that have transitioned.
There are a variety of ideas for solutions people bring up to resolve this issue and they all have their pros and cons. Strictly forcing transitioned athletes to compete with their gender assigned from birth excludes an entire group of athletes from feeling properly accepted in their sports career. On the other hand many cisgendered athletes see it as an unfair advantage, especially in the case of male to female transitions. Some people believe that making a third category in which any gender could participate would resolve this, and it would certainly help a lot. However for many trans athletes this could leave them feeling invalidated.
This is an issue that might never be solved in a way that makes everyone satisfied. It may need to be something covered on a case by case basis, medically transitioning can remove some of the hormone related physical advantages that comes with being assigned a man at birth however not everyone is treated the same way, and understandably not everyone chooses to medically transition. Going through hormone therapy also takes time, it can take years for any extra muscle mass gained from exposure to testosterone to break down to the levels of a biological woman. So this possible solution would still leave some people feeling invalidated or excluded. Hopefully in the following years a concrete and satisfying solution will be found to make sure that all athletes can compete with one another fairly and feel as if they belong.
