Various media outlets have shown images and clips of trans people currently in some sports areas, especially regarding women. Women’s records have been broken, and public outcry has ensued regarding the threat that this ‘invasion’ holds for female sports on the global stage.
On the other hand, trans people who transitioned from male to female have stood their ground, demanding that such outcries are similar to transphobia, which could hinder more persons from the community from engaging in sports categories for their respective genders.
While both arguments maintain a level of equality, the fact remains that the continued allowance of one act will jeopardize the rights of the people in that section. In contrast, the non-allowance of the other party’s action will restrict the party’s rights. Ultimately, it boils down to choices, the effect of the options and responsibility and a possible way forward.
The decision to transition is purely made out of the individual’s choice. Many reasons may have fashioned this decision, but the point remains that the choice had to be made. On the other hand, no one was said to be born into a particular gender. Speculations may be made, and health advice is given as to the appropriate time to mate for a boy or girl to be conceived, but that alone is not sufficient to accurately predict the gender of a child.
In the end, you have people born into a choice and people who had no choice but to be taken into where they are. Irrespective of the social standards in some cultures, the fact remains that the equal existence of each individual should be respected and acknowledged. The choice must not suit you before you accord them that respect. Trans people are welcome to co-exist in the same space and environment as everyone else.
In this vein, trans people involved in any sport should be allowed to engage in it without transphobic acts being meted on them.
While it may have been stated that trans people should be afforded the right to engage in sports without the clouds of transphobia hanging over them, the argument is not an easy one to put to rest. There have been cases where men transition into the female gender, then break records previously held by naturally born females/women, and vice versa.
For instance, Lia Thomas was on the news for the record-breaking NCAA Swimming Title. Then, you have Fallon Fox, who knocked out a female MMA fighter within 39 seconds, cracking her skull. These are to mention but a few of such situations.
Without any doubt, this places a severe risk on the integrity of the sports for the various categories, as well as the dangers of lack of further participation. Or, in a worst-case scenario, create a fraud system of transitioning for better luck on the global stage at the detriment of individuals that have worked hard to get to that position.
To make matters worse, when people try to speak out against this by highlighting the dangers, they are considered transphobic and completely shut out. In the end, a problem exists, and with no severe solution in sight, it can only get worse.
On the other hand, the International Olympic Committee has implemented guidelines to ensure that necessary actions are taken regarding this. Still, in the same vein, these guidelines have faced serious backlashes too. As trans people in sports have continued to canvass for more and continuous inclusion, shunning transphobia in the process, there should be more conversations on a lasting solution for all the parties involved.
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