Dr. Renee Richards
Transgender athletes are not anything new. Dr, Renee Richards, formerly known as Dr. Richard Raskind, was an amateur tennis player in the 1970s. In 1974, she ranked 3rd in the East coast, while ranking 13th nationally. After Richards was allowed into the Tennis Week open, 25 cisgender players withdrew from the competition out of protest.
They felt that her participation was unfair. Despite her sex-change operation, she still kept the muscular anatomy of a biological male. Dr. Richards countered with the fact that socially and psychologically she was a female. She questioned the idea of sexual identity.
The article asks whether Richards should be allowed to participate in official matches. An example highlighted by the article details a completely cisgender woman having her Olympic gold and bronze medals taken away after being wrongfully deemed male by a chromosome test.
Political Bias?
An article done by the HRC foundation researched the many anti-trans and LGBTQ bills passed by lawmakers during 2020-2021. They found that despite little evidence of youth having free access to gender-affirming care, many of these bills completely revoked access to gender-affirming care to even consenting adults. The article even highlights how many children’s medical foundations oppose these bills, citing that gender-affirming care is important to childcare. The article does rightfully admit that there are differences between transgender athletes and cisgender athletes, it states that physical variations are natural between all athletes, regardless of gender. The NCAA and IOC have allowed transgender athletes to participate for decades, with no issue.
Fairness
An article published by the National Library of Medicine speaks about the increased awareness of transgender athletes because of their participation in sports. Healthcare providers speak of the importance of encouraging transgender athletes to participate in sports, due to higher risks of a sedentary lifestyle. The little research that exists suggests that athletic performance is correlated to testosterone levels. Despite this, there is little research that transgender athletes on HRT have a significant advantage or disadvantage that would not be considered normal between two cisgender athletes.