The Guardian reports via the Associated Press:
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which oversees smaller US colleges, announced a policy Monday that essentially bans transgender athletes from women’s sports.
The NAIA’s council of presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote on Monday, according to CBS Sports. The NAIA, which oversees about 83,000 athletes at schools across the US, is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.
According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports. In contrast, only athletes whose biological sex is female and have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed participate in women’s sports. A student who has begun hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices and team activities, but not in interscholastic competition.
Shockingly, the Guardian (or the Associated Press) for once (albeit several paragraphs in) admits there’s a reason for keeping trans athletes out of women’s sports. The males have a built-in physical advantage and the trans men have a physical advantage via doping aka “hormone therapy.”
“With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants,” the NAIA said. “Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes. As a result, the NAIA policy for transgender student-athletes applies to all sports except for competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are open to all students.”
If you blinked you missed it, but it’s there – “providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes.”
But what it gives it takes away. The photo the Guardian chose to illustrate this story on women in sports is a row of girls’ thighs and crotches. Subtle.
H/t Sackbut
Comments
10 responses to “20-0”
Well, at least it’s sort of an acknowledgement that said region of the body matters regardless of what TRAs say.
Welllll it could in theory, but somehow I don’t think that was the intention.
I was going to comment on the photo, but forgot. The “thighs and crotches” shot also illustrates that women often wear tight briefs (or even shorter garments) in sports where men wear much less revealing clothing.
See also: Olympic beach volleyball. Don’t get me started, we’d be here all night.
First, good for the NAIA. One thing to consider here is that if colleges can’t use trans ringers on their women’s teams anymore, they won’t be recruiting them either. But the NAIA is small. If only the NCAA would follow suit.
Second, re competition panties, take a look at that big jerk who’s been beating up girls in five sports north of Boston:
https://ifunny.co/picture/you-ll-never-guess-which-cac-volleyball-all-star-match-Jr3h8d0MB?s=cl
If they really thought he was a girl, they’d make him wear the competition panties too. But he plays on the girls’ teams in boys’ bermudas.
Papito: Maybe one of the female athletes should make an issue about that, pointing out that this constitutes discriminatory practice, and demand either that Lazuli be required to suit up like the rest of them, or that they get their choice of what pants to wear.
They all should. Loudly.
Given the problems which women and girls face when they speak up, I believe that it should be up to the fans and viewing public to speak up, loudly, about unfair uniform rules in sport.
It’s another instance where unity matters. The proud nail gets hammered down, after all.
Papito, I know it says “You’ll never guess which” but I’ll hazard that it’s the one who is wearing male uniform, and whose photograph has been shrunk and superimposed on that of the women.