BY: EMILY TRACHOO | JULY 23, 2023
Earlier this year, the Republican-led House passed a bill that would effectively bar transgender athletes – specifically, those whose assigned sex at birth was male – from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at public schools and colleges. Supporters of the bill claim that trans athletes have a physical and biological advantage over female athletes, while the bill’s opponents point to the lack of definitive research and data supporting this claim. As evident in history, however, this is not the first time such a controversy stirred the public’s attention, and transgender athletes were “called out” for participating alongside cisgender ones.
When speaking of pioneers in transgender sports, Renee Richards is widely regarded as the first transgender athlete to compete professionally. Born as a male, she underwent gender-affirming surgery in 1975, after which she began competing in women’s tournaments until a source leaked the news of her procedure. When the US Tennis Association requested to screen her gender, she refused and was banned from the US Open. Afterward, she challenged the USTA for civil rights violation and won in a landmark case ruled by the New York Supreme Court. As a result, she was allowed to return to the US Open where she made it to the Women’s Doubles Final.
Forty-four years later, duathlon athlete Chris Mosier faced a similar situation to Richards when he became the first openly trans man to qualify for the US national team. However, he was initially banned from participating in the world championships because he did not undergo gender-affirming surgery. He challenged the policy and in 2015, the International Olympic Committee eliminated the requirement, citing its inconsistency with “developing legislation and notions of human rights”. Since then, trans men have been allowed to compete freely in the Games while trans women need only to demonstrate specific testosterone levels.
Chris Mosier was fundamental toward the IOC’s adoption of a new policy that is more inclusive of trans athletes. (Source: RNZ)
Mosier’s case was extremely influential in paving the way for trans athletes to compete at the Olympics. In the summer of 2020, for instance, New Zealand athlete Laurel Hubbard became the first openly trans woman to compete in the Games. She joined the men’s category for weightlifting before transitioning to the women’s category after her procedure, having met all the requirements for weightlifting as a trans athlete and subsequently becoming the oldest contender in her category. Although Hubbard placed last in her group, she was criticized by fellow athletes and the public for her inclusion in the Games, with many claiming she had an obvious biological advantage.
Despite the milestones they have reached, transgender athletes still struggle to find a place in the world of sports. At least 20 states in the US have already passed laws restricting student transgender athletes from participating in the respective teams they identify with, and the recent anti-trans bill passed by the House is only expected to intensify current regulations as various athletic associations look to government bodies for guidance. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), for instance, recently revised its policy and now requires trans athletes to undergo testosterone testing to compete in the women’s division, while World Athletics – the governing body for international track and field and other running competitions – announced in March that it would ban post-pubescent trans women from competing in international tournaments.
Since transgender athletes began competing professionally in the 1970s, they have been the subject of relentless scrutiny. Renee Richards challenged and won a lawsuit against the US Tennis Association. Yet several decades later, Laura Hubbard faced the same type of criticism when she competed in the women’s weightlifting division of the Olympics. Moreover, the US government’s role in trans athlete legislature has significantly shaped the public’s view of transgender athletes for better or worse. It is uncertain whether future legislation will aim to expand trans athletes’ rights or place even greater restrictions on them, but one thing is for sure. Transgender athletes have a long fight ahead of them.
Works Cited
Civil Rights Division | Title Ix Of The Education Amendments Of 1972. 6 Aug. 2015, https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972.
“House Approves Trans Athlete Ban for Girls and Women’s Teams.” AP News, 21 Apr. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/congress-transgender-women-sports-ban-athletes-1c58c20cac2b191e323e4376d7949a2d.
Rinkunas, Susan. “The Trans Athlete Behind the Olympic Committee’s New Gender Policy.” The Cut, 28 Jan. 2016, https://www.thecut.com/2016/01/chris-mosier-transgender-athletes-olympics.html.
“Transgender Athletes: History And Discrimination – Free Essay Example.” Edubirdie, https://edubirdie.com/examples/transgender-athletes-history-and-discrimination/. Accessed 12 July 2023.
