In yet another inane example of transgender activists denying reality and common sense, the debate whether elite female athletes deserve equal opportunities rages on. In an op-ed published earlier this week, John Lohn, editor-in-chief of Swimming World magazine, compared the physical advantages associated with being born male to doping if one is competing against female swimmers.
In case you’ve been preoccupied with holiday baking and tree decorating and happened to miss the details surrounding this controversy, Lia Thomas is a 22-year-old competitive swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania who competed on the men’s swim team for three years before transitioning to female.
To meet the NCAA’s requirement regarding testosterone suppression, Thomas took a year off from training. Since entering the women’s division, Thomas has broken two national records and three school records, winning with a lead time of 38 seconds in one competition.
As you can imagine, Thomas’s female teammates, and their parents, aren’t too happy about this. (In response, the university has referred concerned athletes to its LGBT center and mental health services.)
The larger trend of transgender athletes dominating elite female sports has been accompanied by a supposedly reassuring narrative about how everything is fair so long as an individual has lowered their testosterone levels.
From a scientific perspective, this is not true. Athletes who have undergone male puberty are, on average, faster, taller, and stronger than women. They have larger hands and feet, as well as bigger lungs and hearts, which lend a competitive edge. Hormonal therapy doesn’t override these differences.
The goal in drawing attention to this issue is not to make an example out of Thomas, and I don’t believe that most athletes deciding to transition are doing so for the purpose of obtaining an unfair upper hand. At the same time, I wonder how many are genuinely clueless about this associated advantage and why they would feel comfortable and ethical competing in a category that bestows it.
This is a political statement that goes beyond advocating for equal rights and fighting prejudice. I have heard from many transgender people who are appalled that anyone would demand to compete in women’s sports in the name of acceptance for the community.
I’m mystified as well, but it doesn’t look like this issue will be resolved anytime soon. The most upsetting part is knowing how discouraged and demoralized female athletes feel knowing the best they can strive for is second place.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
