Let Trans Women Compete
In the recent months, we have seen a number of anti-trans laws come into play in various states and imposing various restrictions and humiliations on our trans friends. From not allowing name changes, to actual genital inspections in order to participate in sports, things have become increasingly dark and dangerous for members of the trans community.
The hysteria reaches an apex when it comes to combat sports and trans individuals. Famously, many MMA “journalists” have claimed in their headlines that trans fighter Fallon Fox “broke [a woman’s] skull”. Though Fox’s opponent did suffer an orbital bone fracture - an incredibly common injury among male and female MMA fighters - she did not break anyone’s skull. This did not stop the online outrage from coaches and practitioners alike in the BJJ community. The hysteria arose again when Alana McLaughlin took an MMA fight. Sadly, the world of combat sports is quick to attack trans individuals who wish to compete.
This is true of even Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament organizations. A trans friend of mine told me that they had reached out to a variety of tournaments to see where they would be allowed to compete as a male. While the IBJJF and Fuji BJJ were affirming, other organizations were not so receptive.
A number of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gyms also have coaches who are overtly or covertly anti-trans in their behavior. I have personally even seen gyms in which coaches claim to be open and affirming to the LGBT+ community, but in reality they are open and affirming to gay and lesbian individuals while still exclusionary to trans individuals; sometimes going so far as to publicly express their incorrect opinions on not allowing people who are trans to compete.
In MMA and BJJ we most often see people jump up to claim that trans women have an unfair advantage because they’ve “gone through puberty as a man” and therefore have an unfair advantage via natural testosterone and its impact on physical development. Or even that men are “naturally stronger” and therefore, if a person ever lived as a male, then they will somehow always have that advantage.
What these individuals refuse to realize is that when a person transitions M-F, one of the first things they do is begin taking anti-androgen medications as well as hormones such as estrogen. This has an immediate effect on the body. Our trans friends will experience a loss of bone density, a loss of red blood cells, a loss of muscle and lean body mass, as they will also see a major change in how fat is made and distributed on their body.
These changes happen in full within 3 months and are ongoing for the rest of their lives.
The science is already in; being trans provides no additional advantage in sports regardless of gender identity or prior life experience. There is literally no example of a trans individual dominating any sport at any time. Both scientifically and anecdotally, evidence is overwhelmingly in support of allowing all of our trans friends to compete as they best see fit.
Medical doctor and former UFC fighter, Rosi Sexton, once claimed that trans fighters had an unfair advantage, but when she learned more, she publicly changed her opinion. Any of you who may be reading this and are unsure of what you ought to believe in regards to this issue, I hope you will take the time to click the source links above and learn more. I hope you will meet and interact with members of the trans community. I hope you will seek out their many stories and hear their experiences with an open mind.
And I hope you will fight to let our trans friends play sports without discrimination.