This is a pretty sad grey area. Trans athletes definitely need to be included in sports/competition but in sports like swimming, running and power lifting the men’s qualifications are just in another league of their own, hormones and muscle mass really do make a massive difference and I have no idea what the solution is (its not DNA testing). I’d even go as far as saying that genetics on their own give some athletes a massive advantage over others in their sports (Eg XX females with naturally high testosterone, muscle mass ect…)
The rules that already prevent competition until 2 years after transitioning already 100% cover any point in time where there would be any remnant of their time spent with different hormone levels. Basically, the problem was already solved decades ago, which is why there has never been an actual issue in practice.
It also heavily depends on what hormones if any the transgender woman is on. Monotherapy increases estrogen count well above cis female levels, and both monotherapy and via T blockers reduce testosterone so drastically that agab has absolutely no role in overall strength. I had moderate muscle mass and a very lean build before transitioning (from amateur climbing and track), and quickly lost all of that within four months on monotherapy even with regular gym attendance. My leg strength stayed about the same but overall build and gains are exactly on par with my cisgender peers now. The point being I’m not sure one can even argue that they could train on natural T before transitioning to gain an advantage, as maintaining that muscle mass is near impossible. And if policing hormonal levels becomes a thing if low-dosage is a concern, then many cisgender women would also be barred for competing due to naturally high testosterone.
Thats great insight, you’re right I was exclusively thinking about my own experience as a cis male swimmer growing up. I hope things become more inclusive and more research is done on the topic.
This is a pretty sad grey area. Trans athletes definitely need to be included in sports/competition but in sports like swimming, running and power lifting the men’s qualifications are just in another league of their own, hormones and muscle mass really do make a massive difference and I have no idea what the solution is (its not DNA testing). I’d even go as far as saying that genetics on their own give some athletes a massive advantage over others in their sports (Eg XX females with naturally high testosterone, muscle mass ect…)
The rules that already prevent competition until 2 years after transitioning already 100% cover any point in time where there would be any remnant of their time spent with different hormone levels. Basically, the problem was already solved decades ago, which is why there has never been an actual issue in practice.
It also heavily depends on what hormones if any the transgender woman is on. Monotherapy increases estrogen count well above cis female levels, and both monotherapy and via T blockers reduce testosterone so drastically that agab has absolutely no role in overall strength. I had moderate muscle mass and a very lean build before transitioning (from amateur climbing and track), and quickly lost all of that within four months on monotherapy even with regular gym attendance. My leg strength stayed about the same but overall build and gains are exactly on par with my cisgender peers now. The point being I’m not sure one can even argue that they could train on natural T before transitioning to gain an advantage, as maintaining that muscle mass is near impossible. And if policing hormonal levels becomes a thing if low-dosage is a concern, then many cisgender women would also be barred for competing due to naturally high testosterone.
Thats great insight, you’re right I was exclusively thinking about my own experience as a cis male swimmer growing up. I hope things become more inclusive and more research is done on the topic.