FINA restricts transgender swimmers in elite women's events

[LadyStanley]

FINA votes to restrict transgender swimmers, including Lia Thomas, in elite women's events

Lia Thomas will be unable to compete under the new guidelines that start on Monday.

sports.yahoo.com

Swimming's world governing body voted to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in women's events and will look into creating an "open competition" category in a membership vote on Sunday.

FINA members voted 71.5% in favor of a policy that requires transgender swimmers to have completed their transition by age 12 to be able to compete, per the Associated Press. There are 152 national federations with voting rights. The vote applies to all events beginning on Monday. Part of the 24-page policy was a proposal for an "open competition" category.

Hmmm

World swimming bans transgender athletes from women's events

World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday. FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The...

news.yahoo.com

"This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair,” James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.

Ah, ummm

Click to read more...

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

I think this eliminates most biological advantages that could be an issue and allows transgender women and other women to compete on a more even playing field. It also dissuades people from claiming they are transgender fraudulently when they aren't for personal gain.

 

[Burkeocet]

The possibility of an open class is kind of intriguing. They should do that and allow them to take whatever steroids they can get their hands on - how fast can a human reaaaaaly swim? I want to know!

 

[Fatass]

FINA votes to restrict transgender swimmers, including Lia Thomas, in elite women's events

Lia Thomas will be unable to compete under the new guidelines that start on Monday.

sports.yahoo.com

Hmmm

World swimming bans transgender athletes from women's events

World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday. FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The...

news.yahoo.com

Ah, ummm

Good. Glad to see science backing up what is common sense.

 

[NextBigThing]

I don’t agree with this at all. If someone identifies as a female they should be able to participate in the female competitions. Certain people trying to make this way to complicated.

 

[BMacLeafs]

This just reeks of transphobia.

I don't even see why there are different divisions for men and womxn. Gender is artificially defined and is not grounded in any sort of science. All athletes should compete against each other in an open division.

 

[TK 421]

I don’t agree with this at all. If someone identifies as a female they should be able to participate in the female competitions. Certain people trying to make this way to complicated.

"Identifying" as female doesn't erase the male physical advantages like greater muscle mass, bone density and testosterone production. It's a biological man competing against women no matter you how decide to word salad your way around it and it puts actual women at a serious disadvantage in sports competition.

Compete against biological men or....don't. Those are your options.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

This just reeks of transphobia.

I don't even see why there are different divisions for men and womxn. Gender is artificially defined and is not grounded in any sort of science. All athletes should compete against each other in an open division.

This isn't about gender at all and I have to assume you aren't female because the vast majority of female athletes will welcome this because of the distinct biological differences between men and women.

 

[PCSPounder]

Good. Glad to see science backing up what is common sense.

This has nothing to do with science.

There used to be chromosome testing for athletes. The reason this doesn’t happen is that humans aren’t so cut and dried in this way; there were all sorts of chromosomes that “didn’t belong.”

Meanwhile, look up the case of Caster Semenya.

This really is more about not wanting to upset “common sense,” for which transphobia is one segment of the issue.

“They’re Chasing Us Away from Sport”

The 120-page report, “‘“They’re Chasing Us Away from Sport’”: Human Rights Violations in Sex Testing of Elite Women Athletes,” documents the experiences of more than a dozen women athletes from the Global South who have been affected by sex testing regulations. Human Rights watch found that...

www.hrw.org

 

[Albatros]

It also dissuades people from claiming they are transgender fraudulently when they aren't for personal gain.

Being fraudulently transgender for athletic gain is not really even a thing. And I can't really imagine it ever becoming any more so than actual men posing as actual women already is.

I agree that a policy is needed, but many arguments including some of those discussed by the FINA just reek of mere barely veiled transphobia.

 

[Pink Mist]

There's a reason they stopped doing chromosomal tests in elite sports 25 years ago since at a lot of cisgender athletes unexpectedly found out, and were embarrassed to find out, that their chromosomes didn't align with their gender.

This ruling is a step back and reeks of transphobia

Gender Testing at the Olympic Games

The Humiliating Practice of Sex-Testing Female Athletes (Published 2016)

 

[Pink Mist]

This isn't about gender at all and I have to assume you aren't female because the vast majority of female athletes will welcome this because of the distinct biological differences between men and women.

Those female athletes you say welcome it should be careful what they wish for since while they identify biologically as a woman, for a small percentage of them their chromosomes tell a different story. As we've seen historically when they had chromosome testing in sports

 

[Jets4Life]

This is great news. Women athletes deserve to be protected against cheating. My guess is people who support biological males competing in womens sports, have no history of participating in women's sports, or how hard it is to become an elte athlete, and all the training and sacrifices it takes to become one.

 

[Kshahdoo]

This just reeks of transphobia.

I don't even see why there are different divisions for men and womxn. Gender is artificially defined and is not grounded in any sort of science. All athletes should compete against each other in an open division.

I agree. I think the first sport which should consider the mixing tournaments is boxing.

 

[Albatros]

This is great news. Women athletes deserve to be protected against cheating. My guess is people who support biological males competing in womens sports, have no history of participating in women's sports, or how hard it is to become an elte athlete, and all the training and sacrifices it takes to become one.

Should XY women that are legally women since birth and identify as such be banned from women's sports again? If not, why should XY transgender women?

 

[Jets4Life]

Should XY women that are legally women since birth and identify as such be banned from women's sports again? If not, why should XY transgender women?

Have you ever been an elite athlete?

 

[AvsBeacon]

Makes sense unless you think men (adult human males) and women (adult human females) are physically equal on average.

This just reeks of transphobia.

I don't even see why there are different divisions for men and womxn. Gender is artificially defined and is not grounded in any sort of science. All athletes should compete against each other in an open division.

Fair enough if you want an "open" division to be the only division. As a male I'd be fine with that but would women be happy when colleges/universities/high schools/middle schools eliminate women's only teams?

 

[Albatros]

Have you ever been an elite athlete?

No, I do not possess the genetics that would permit being one. Which does not mean that everyone enjoying those advantages over me should be banned.

 

[Pink Mist]

Have you ever been an elite athlete?

You didn't answer the question

 

[Jets4Life]

This just reeks of transphobia.

I don't even see why there are different divisions for men and womxn. Gender is artificially defined and is not grounded in any sort of science. All athletes should compete against each other in an open division.

If your goal is to kill off women's sport, by all means go for it.

If sport eliminated men's/women's classes, there would never again be a female medal winner in any sport. No women would win, or come close to medalling in Olympics, World Championships, etc. As for team sports, the top leagues would still be composed 100% of men. Women would be relegated to Tier 4 leagues.

This just reeks of misogyny.

No, I do not possess the genetics that would permit being one. Which does not mean that everyone enjoying those advantages over me should be banned.

Can you elaborate on your post.

I am 6'2/200. Many people in my family compete in sports. So I naturally have an advantage over a man who is 5'8/145.

Know how ridiculous you sound? You are on a hockey forum. The majority of NHL players are over 6 feet tall, and weigh close to 200 pounds or more, with male bone structure and muscle mass. That is just the way it is. No biological woman will ever make the NHL. The only time a woman played an exhibition game in the NHL, was 30 years ago, and that was purely for publicity purposes. She was a backup goaltender in the ECHL at her best.

 

[Albatros]

I am 6'2/200. Many people in my family compete in sports. So I should be banned from sports, since I have an "unfair" advantage over a man who is 5'8/145?

No, good for you. The same goes for any other advantage that people with XY chromosomes may potentially possess. Chromosome testing was abolished by the IOC in the 1990s in favor of testosterone values which enabled XY women to compete at least in principle. To limit the right of XY transgender women to compete based on the same rules as other women and in particular XY women is arbitrary.

 

[NextBigThing]

This is great news. Women athletes deserve to be protected against cheating. My guess is people who support biological males competing in womens sports, have no history of participating in women's sports, or how hard it is to become an elte athlete, and all the training and sacrifices it takes to become one.

Anyone who identifies as a female should be allowed to compete in the female competitions. Don’t like it? Too bad, life is not fair.

 

[Jets4Life]

No, good for you. The same goes for any other advantage that people with XY chromosomes may potentially possess. Chromosome testing was abolished by the IOC in the 1990s in favor of testosterone values which enabled XY women to compete at least in principle. To limit the right of XY transgender women to compete based on the same rules as other women and in particular XY women is arbitrary.

Reread my post. I misunderstood your question, edited it, and reposted it 2 minutes later.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

This has nothing to do with science.

So you disagree that around age 12, the surge of testosterone isn't a competitive advantage of being a male?

 

[Pink Mist]

So you disagree that around age 12, the surge of testosterone isn't a competitive advantage of being a male?

Cool, so what do you do with female athletes who have XY chromosomes?