<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">What's happening? </h2>

Emily Bridges started cycling when she was nine years old. As she got older, she won more and more competitions. She was making a careerA person's progress through different jobs over their lifetime. out of cycling.

In 2020, she came out as a transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). woman. But in 2022, she was told she could not compete in the women's section of a key cycling 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. They argue that anyone who has gone 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. has a natural advantageSomething (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others..

Many sporting bodies have set strict rules for transgender athletes - or simply banned them. The rules often set a limit for the amount of a hormone called testosteroneThe hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone. that anyone who wants to compete in the women's category can have.

For now, scientists are divided on whether going through male puberty means that transgender athletes will always have an advantage. Some have argued yes - others have argued that when testosterone is lowered, there is no advantage.

Some have even suggested there should be three categories: two for cisgender men and women, and one open category for transgender sportspeople. But transgender people make up just 0.5% of all people in the UK - so in many sports, it may be a category with not many entries.

Should sex matter in sport?

Yes! We split sports into men's and women's sports for a reason. We need to make sure that sport is fair to cisgender women - and that means that there will be strict rules about who can compete in the women's category.

<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Find out more </h2>

No! Transgender people should be allowed to compete in the category that fits their gender identityHow a person feels about their gender - whether they feel like a man, a woman or somewhere in between. . It is not fair to ban them from taking part in competitions.

Career - A person's progress through different jobs over their lifetime.

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.

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.

Advantage - Something (such as a good position or condition) that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others.

Testosterone - The hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone.

Gender identity - How a person feels about their gender - whether they feel like a man, a woman or somewhere in between.