Should sex matter in sport? The transgender athlete Emily Bridges is planning legal action against the sporting body that barred her from competing alongside other women.
'I was banned from cycling because I'm trans'
Should sex matter in sport? The transgender athlete Emily Bridges is planning legal action against the sporting body that barred her from competing alongside other women.
Cynical cycling
She started cycling at nine years old, and was just ten when she started competing. "As a kid, cycling was the thing that made me happiest in the world," she says.
Emily Bridges had a sparkling career ahead of her. She won her first national title in 2019 and collected many trophies in the years that followed.
But she was excludedIntentionally not included in something. from competing in the British National Omnium Championships in 2022 after cycling's governing body, the UCI, ruled she could not compete in the women's section of the competition.
Some believe that transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). women should not be allowed to compete against cisgenderA person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s. women, arguing that the biological inequalities are insurmountableToo great to be beaten..
Many sporting bodies have set regulations for their transgender competitors, or banned them outright. These regulations often concern testosteroneThe hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone. levels in their female competitors, as it is believed that testosterone provides a competitive advantage.
Many believe that this can be reduced or removed through hormone therapyTreatment involving the use of hormones - chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body - to change levels in the body.. But some argue that even when testosterone is reduced, advantages in height, physiqueThe form or build of a person's body. and muscle mass may remain.
There is no scientific consensusGeneral agreement. It was originally a Latin word., and each study seems to find different results. A 2020 study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that people who go through male pubertyThe time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult. have greater heart and lung capacity, more muscle mass and lower body fat, and that this can never be balanced out.1
But a more recent report from the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport concluded that trans women that have begun testosterone suppressionKeeping or holding something back. have no clear biological advantage over cisgender women.2
Some have proposed three categories: two for cisgender men and women, and one open category for transgender sportspeople. But transgender people make up just 0.5% of the population in the UK,3 meaning that such a category would be impossible to make competitive.
Should sex matter in sport?
Yes: Sports categories have always been gendered for a reason. Women have fought hard to be judged fairly in separate categories to men, and the integrity of these categories should be preserved.
No: Many studies suggest that hormone therapy and testosterone suppressants create a level playing field between cisgender and transgender women. Trans people should be allowed to compete in the category that aligns best with their gender identity.
Or... For now, even scientists are decided on this issue. As a result, many decisions are based on political opinions - rather than scientific evidence.
Keywords
Excluded - Intentionally not included in something.
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Cisgender - A person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s.
Insurmountable - Too great to be beaten.
Testosterone - The hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone.
Hormone therapy - Treatment involving the use of hormones - chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body - to change levels in the body.
Physique - The form or build of a person's body.
Consensus - General agreement. It was originally a Latin word.
Puberty - The time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult.
Suppression - Keeping or holding something back.
‘I was banned from cycling because I’m trans’
Glossary
Excluded - Intentionally not included in something.
Transgender - Someone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology).
Cisgender - A person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. The term was first used in academic articles in the 1990s.
Insurmountable - Too great to be beaten.
Testosterone - The hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone.
Hormone therapy - Treatment involving the use of hormones – chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body – to change levels in the body.
Physique - The form or build of a person's body.
Consensus - General agreement. It was originally a Latin word.
Puberty - The time in a person's life when they go through physical and hormonal changes, changing from being a child to being an adult.
Suppression - Keeping or holding something back.