What should be the rule for transgender athletes? | Sharron Davies

Lia Thomas is a trans woman and many of her fellow competitors think it was unfair she was allowed to compete a final at the US Collegiate championship, which she won. The counter view is that once people have made the transition, they need to be included in sport.

Speaking to Stig Abell and Aasmah Mir, Olympic swimming medal winner Sharron Davies said "it's just not fair" that she was allowed to compete.

She said: "For the first 21 years of her life, the best that she'd achieved was the top 500 in university male swimming.

"So she went from being number 500 to being number one."

She added: "Of course, Lia should be able to compete, everybody should be able to compete.

"But no one ever talks about trans men and where are trans men going to go and compete, you know that it's just very much a one side conversation.

"And you can be damn sure if men's sport was being affected, this wouldn't be happening.

"So it's very important that women have equal opportunities of success in sport, and that we're not discriminated against because of our actual biological sex, which is what is happening at the moment."

Listen to Sharron Davies' full interview on Times Radio.

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[IrynaBoehland]

there should be LGBTQ blah-blah-blah division for them to compete

[chibidevilchan]

3:00 I agree and everything this women said was 100% correct, it is unfair because biologically they are different and carry an edge in a women's sports team {When changed to women, they still carry that edge/Going male, does the exact opposite and gives you disadvantages on a Male's sports teams.). Whether the trans community accepts it or not, it's science and that is a fact..

[Maybe do a Trans team for them both, because we do this for other types of competition, like Paralympics or other types to even those edges and disadvantages on the field.]

[Andrew-qqfb]

Just make an open division for them to compete in. It's not that complicated.

[trishna_]

100% agree. This is not about trans discrimination. It's about fairness, and in contact sports its also about safety. International Rugby did an extensive study showing that when people who haven't gone through male puberty play against those who have - concussions and injuries for those who hadn't gone through male puberty increased by 30%.

There is a reason that we separate almost all sports by sex (as well as a bunch of other things like height and weight). Its because there is a physical difference between male and females bodies post-puberty. There is nothing anti-trans about this reality.

Women have worked so hard to get recognition in sports, and now there are expected to give it away for the sake of making a few transwomen feel 'included' and like 'real women'.

When its a low-level non-contact sport, it doesn't really matter. But when it's at a high level, professional, Olympic, college-level etc its just disgusting that people think it's fine to throw women and women's sport under the bus like this.
And of course, no one cares about transmen. They never figure into it, because being female-bodied, they can never hope to compete against biological males who've been through puberty. So they are left out completely.

[jimthompson]

So make a choice - either a different gender, or your sport. You can’t have both and no one said you could.

[jasonjones]

Special Olympics. If it took surgery or meds to get there, or they don't identify as what they were it's not fair to natural athletes. Your making rules to serve the few, that harm the many. One persons wants should not hurt the rights of the many.

[louiseparker]

if ever there was proof that sexism is still alive and kicking this is it. Women are still treated very badly and unfairly,

[Darkstarr-udgo]

I disagree with almost EVERYTHING the repressive right wing says or does … but in this case they have a point …. I sympathize and support one’s personal choice pretty much no matter what but in this case and others like it women who trained and struggled to reach the top of their sport are bumped down by someone who is essentially a male … I remember the East German “female” athletes who were essentially men … it was unfair …. And in this case it’s unfair … plain and simple ….

[casperwallace]

Same with sprinting - women got crushed as two trans- guys came from way back and the women got 3rd and 4th place I think it was. Its turning women's sports into a farce.

Women should just stop competing if there is trans men in it. They have such a short window of time to make their mark, To have it interrupted like this -is just terrible.

[chrisparti]

I watch a grass roots boxing, kickboxing and MMA channel on YouTube called StreetBeefs, the name is horrible, I Know, but they are very fair and professional in how they pair the fights, and the refereeing is spot on to ensure safety. In this series they have a trans fighter who is transitioning to a woman, she happily fights in the men's category and is well supported by the StreetBeefs crowd on online in the comments, she was even voted fighter of the year. I totally agree with Sharon on this, I have no issue with Trans at all, but when it comes to fairness in sport, you have to be pragmatic, otherwise women wont want to compete if they have no chance to win.

[K_F_P]

Those unremarkable men should compete against other men and come last instead of competing against remarkable women and coming first.

[OtakuLogan]

Just make them compete in the mens division, only fair

[nonflyingdutchman]

The problem is that two things, identity and biology, are being conflated. The male/female categories were brought in to account for differences in biology at a time when the biology and identity were considered the same. I'm fine with people being able to self identify as male or female if they wish but then the sporting categories need to drop the words male/female as they no longer mean anything relevant to athletic ability and define categories based on biology, for example having a Y chromosome or by testosterone level. Only issue I guess would be grass roots and school sports having to genotype or blood test everyone.

[Ivane_Maskhulia]

There is no rule needed. There are males and there females.

[jcguevara]

Those individuals should have their own leagues ..

[funnywally]

This is what happens when you think the Bible is just a fairy tale.