A Question of Sport - and Trans Athletes

[Kiwi_bloke]

I've been involved in trans rights since that subject first became an issue, and I've worked with companies to institute trans-positive and anti-discriminatory policies, and I've seen some very positive changes over the past few decades.

Now, I'm hitting the wall, and it's all about sports.

I can't agree that trans women should be able to compete against women. The problem is exemplified in strength sports - we had a male weightlifter who never made the Olympics as a man, but when he transitioned, in his late 30s, she became world-class almost immediately. Another very good example was a young woman who had won all the age-group titles in mountain biking and was a certainty to take the open women's class when she reached 18.

Alas, at her first national championships, a former male competitor had transitioned and beat her easily.

I'd be interested in opinions from trans women outside the sports world as to how they feel about these kind of situations - should trans women be able to compete against women? If so, why?

Thanks!

[Castor_Troy05]

Trans women have been allowed to compete at the olympics since the 90s. None have every qualified or won anything, it’s a non issue. They should compete with women because they are women

[morim]

I agree, if they have to be considered women (and I do), this applies to everything.

[holzz]

depends on the sport. not all sports rest on brute strength.
if a trans woman wants to compete in the world pool championships as a woman, i dont' see why not.

[HeWasNumber1]

If you think there isn't a problem with someone being born male physically playing sports(basketball, soccer, wrestling) with someone who was born female then you just haven't seen enough examples of men destroying women in sports(see the US women's national team playing against the U-16 boys and losing 8-2). No amount of HRT will close the gap enough to make it fair for Genetic girls to play against someone who was formerly male.

[Torris]

What constitutes a trans woman athlete? Do they all have SRS?

[Kiwi_bloke]

Trans women have been allowed to compete at the olympics since the 90s. None have every qualified or won anything, it’s a non issue. They should compete with women because they are women

That's not true.

Trans women have been allowed to compete as long as they have had full GRS, including gonadectomy and have been on hormonal therapy.

On those rules, I'm fine with it - it's the ones who claim to be trans without having had either GRS or hormone treatment that cause the problems.

Americans may be unaware that Biden's very early anti-discrimination law allows trans to compete at any level and without any testing or rules other than self-identification as trans.

[Kiwi_bloke]

I agree, if they have to be considered women (and I do), this applies to everything.

So, you'd be fine with Mike Tyson identifying as trans and getting in the ring with a woman?

Death would be the likely result.

[Torris]

That's not true.

Trans women have been allowed to compete as long as they have had full GRS, including gonadectomy and have been on hormonal therapy.

On those rules, I'm fine with it - it's the ones who claim to be trans without having had either GRS or hormone treatment that cause the problems.

Americans may be unaware that Biden's very early anti-discrimination law allows trans to compete at any level and without any testing or rules other than self-identification as trans.

The outcome of this will be to drive a further wedge between feminists and trans activists/LGBT+ communities

[Torris]

That's not true.



Americans may be unaware that Biden's very early anti-discrimination law allows trans to compete at any level and without any testing or rules other than self-identification as trans.

Without some sort of medical certification what is to stop male athletes from “self identifying” as women when they couldn’t gain a scholarship as male athletes.

Four year scholarship and after athletic eligibility runs out they go back to being male

That is most certainly going to be an unintended consequence of Biden’s EO

[mildcigar_2001]

I think this is one of these issues that if some of the Trans Community keep pushing for, is going to cause a backlash for the transsexuals in general and not just the Trans athletes. Just because someone identifies as a woman doesn't mean that the person's biology magically changes.

The American People are going to go along with "political correctness" so long as it doesn't obviously defy common sense. Americans are going to see their daughters and wives being cheated, and there will be a negative reaction towards transsexuals.

I am sympathetic to the Trans Community, and generally support people living any way they see fit (as long as they don't hurt others). I don't think Trans people should be discriminated against, and should be allowed to live their best lives.

That being said, it is unfair to girls/women to have to compete against male to female transsexuals.

The Trans athletes need to compete in the men's bracket, or develop trans only sports. This may be unfair to transsexual athletes, but this is one of these cases where we as a society has to choose the outcome that causes the least harm.

[brooksglass]

I'm trans myself. I used to play full contact Rugby League(the best kind of Rugby ;) , I dropped a lot of muscle when I transitioned but I didn't want to play a contact sport where I would hurt someone. I now play tag rugby league for fun which is a mixed gender league and is non contact

[MrFanti]

Trans women have been allowed to compete at the olympics since the 90s. None have every qualified or won anything, it’s a non issue. They should compete with women because they are women
Hmmm....very TOUGH and delicate debate/topic.
What about basketball and volleyball where height is a distinct advantage?

[SanDiegoPervySage]

Let's say theres a genetic man and genetic woman who get into arguement. If the woman gets mad and punches the man, then the man lunches the woman in retaliation and knocks her out cold, how many of the pro trans integrationists are going to say he shouldn't have hit her because men/males are NATURALLY strong stronger and BIOLOGICALLY have a greater advantage?

Im sure a great number, if not the majority, will say that. I'm no medical professional and dont understand the human body on any real level, but you can't convince me that even while being hormones that the male body will just negate everything that is naturally male in the physiology. Also, not all trans women are on hormones all the time. Not to mention, I'm assuming hormonal dosage if different for each person. But when it comes to sports, people want to say "it's all about skill, not genetics", while at the same time much of the discussion around sports, especially mens sports is how these athletes are genetic freaks(LeBron, Zion Williamson, Jim Brown, Sage Northcut).

Not to mention, for the ones who transition later in life. They've grown up as males, trained and competed with males, went through their developmental years as males, possibly had nutrition plans tailored to males. That's gotta play a factor into ones ability.

Since they can compete, good luck to them, but I can't see this as overall fair either.

[Stavros]

Allow me to suggest that we are faced here with a conflict between the concept of fairness, and the concept of rights. Because sport at the professional level has rules and regulations, it cannot be forced to submit to a 'rights' based campaign, unless it decides to change its rules. I think, for example, there have been times when disabled athletes competed with able athletes, and as far as I am aware, the able bodied athletes always won -disabled athletes may claim the right to compete, but is it fair? I suspect that unless the disabled athlete is truly sensational, the outcome is that people feel the competition was not fair.

Thus, transgendered athletes might claim a right to participate, but with the specific sport concerned, would it produce a fair outcome? It becomes even more complex if the person concerned has not attempted to transition to male or female using hormones, surgery, etc, but 'identifies' as a man or a woman, or indeed, as non-binary, and demands on that basis the right to compete against men and women. The sport's regulations to change might recognize the rights of 'gender fluid' athletes and sportspersons, but would the outcome on the field of play be fair?

[Nick Danger]

There is only one possible victim-class in this discussion and that is genetic females. Genetic men would have no problem with FtM transgenders competing in their sports because it isn't going to happen - maybe on a single-case basis here and there but in general, genetic women can't compete with genetic men at any sport, not at the highest level anyway.

Genetic females need to make this call. Men mostly don't care about women's sports anyway, and I'm not saying that as an opinion. Attendance and viewership numbers tell that story with no help from me.

I think if you DO leave that question up to genetic females, the answer is going to be "No."

Sports is about competition. Fair competition.

[Torris]

There is only one possible victim-class in this discussion and that is genetic females. Genetic men would have no problem with FtM transgenders competing in their sports because it isn't going to happen - maybe on a single-case basis here and there but in general, genetic women can't compete with genetic men at any sport, not at the highest level anyway.

Genetic females need to make this call. Men mostly don't care about women's sports anyway, and I'm not saying that as an opinion. Attendance and viewership numbers tell that story with no help from me.

I think if you DO leave that question up to genetic females, the answer is going to be "No."

Sports is about competition. Fair competition.

A friend of mine has a daughter on the local university soccer team. Her concern regards showering after practice and events with trans competitors who still have penises

[MrFanti]

Genetic men would have no problem with FtM transgenders competing in their sports because it isn't going to happen.
I have a F-T-M friend that plays on a male semi-pro football team.

[Nick Danger]

I have a F-T-M friend that plays on a male semi-pro football team.

That's pretty cool. Still, not the highest level of competition. But I'd like to see it.

Currently there are no FtM transgenders OR genetic females playing in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL, which covers the highest level of the 4 major sports in America. There are no rules against it, any human who can play at that level is eligible to do so. It just doesn't happen. If it does, I'll be cheering for them.

I used to be a table tennis player as a teenager, won a state championship actually, at age 13. 13-14 was my age group and I was pretty dominant. The next year my father decided to put me into the 15-16 group even though I was only 14. I got my ass kicked. HAD HE ASKED ME I'd have told him I wanted to stay where I was. But he didn't ask. Damn the patriarchy!

[Kiwi_bloke]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses!


The outcome of this will be to drive a further wedge between feminists and trans activists/LGBT+ communities

Already has, and the outcome seems to be that women who are standing up and saying it's unfair are immediately labelled as transphobes or TERFs.


Without some sort of medical certification what is to stop male athletes from “self identifying” as women when they couldn’t gain a scholarship as male athletes.

Four year scholarship and after athletic eligibility runs out they go back to being male

That is most certainly going to be an unintended consequence of Biden’s EO

Bingo! That's exactly what can happen.

I understand the reasoning behind the law change, but jeez, was it ever a terribly (or not at all!) thought-out piece of legislation.


I think this is one of these issues that if some of the Trans Community keep pushing for, is going to cause a backlash for the transsexuals in general and not just the Trans athletes. Just because someone identifies as a woman doesn't mean that the person's biology magically changes.

Again, exactly right. I've seen push-back against it already, and it seems dumb to risk all the other gains for one area, which the sports themselves will shut down anyway.


That being said, it is unfair to girls/women to have to compete against male to female transsexuals.

The Trans athletes need to compete in the men's bracket, or develop trans only sports. This may be unfair to transsexual athletes, but this is one of these cases where we as a society has to choose the outcome that causes the least harm.

Agree 100%. I very slightly know the mountain biker and she was gutted. She'd trained her entire life and gets pushed aside by an athlete who'd competed for years as a male and never quite made the top, then suddenly decides to "transition". I use the speech marks because the transition was self-identifying as trans - no surgery, no hormones...


Allow me to suggest that we are faced here with a conflict between the concept of fairness, and the concept of rights. Because sport at the professional level has rules and regulations, it cannot be forced to submit to a 'rights' based campaign, unless it decides to change its rules. I think, for example, there have been times when disabled athletes competed with able athletes, and as far as I am aware, the able bodied athletes always won -disabled athletes may claim the right to compete, but is it fair? I suspect that unless the disabled athlete is truly sensational, the outcome is that people feel the competition was not fair.

Thus, transgendered athletes might claim a right to participate, but with the specific sport concerned, would it produce a fair outcome? It becomes even more complex if the person concerned has not attempted to transition to male or female using hormones, surgery, etc, but 'identifies' as a man or a woman, or indeed, as non-binary, and demands on that basis the right to compete against men and women. The sport's regulations to change might recognize the rights of 'gender fluid' athletes and sportspersons, but would the outcome on the field of play be fair?

Other sports need to take a look at boxing. It's not fair to have a 150 lb fighter lining up against a 250 lb fighter, so you have different classes.



Sports is about competition. Fair competition.

Another one utterly nailed.

We have drug tests to stop people gaining an unfair advantage.

Allowing self-identification as the only criteria is as stupid to me as allowing people to self-identify as disabled and be allowed to compete against people who are genuinely disabled.

[Torris]

Kiwi Bloke

I understand the reasoning behind the law change, but jeez, was it ever a terribly (or not at all!) thought-out piece of legislation.
——-

There was no legislation, Biden issued a ruling by executive order

Montana has set forth legislation to stop implementation. Other states are looking to disallow change of gender on official documents like Drivers Licenses and birth certificates

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/montana-aims-save-womens-sports-bidens-executive-order

From the article, if this continues it will de disastrous for the trans community

South Dakota House Bill 1076 would require that citizens' birth certificates reflect their biological sex, and may not be changed as the result of a gender transition surgery. The House was scheduled to vote on this bill on January 26.

[Torris]

Kiwi Bloke

Already has, and the outcome seems to be that women who are standing up and saying it's unfair are immediately labelled as transphobes or TERFs.
——-

Here is a dirty little secret: many feminists are cool to hostile to the Trans community bc they (anti trans feminists) will never see men who have transitioned to women as being anything other than biological men.

Some Feminists are still angry at the trans community for insisting the feminine hygiene company take the feminine symbol off of their Always maxi pads

[MrFanti]

That's pretty cool. Still, not the highest level of competition. But I'd like to see it.

Here's a FTM wrestling winner!
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-texas-wrestler-wins-second-high-school-girls-title-n851106

[Trapt53]

Here's a FTM wrestling winner!
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-texas-wrestler-wins-second-high-school-girls-title-n851106

He won the girls title; because, Texas law required him to compete as his birth gender. He's equivalent to a woman on steroids competing against women not on steroids. He wanted to compete with the boys.

[Stavros]

South Dakota House Bill 1076 would require that citizens' birth certificates reflect their biological sex, and may not be changed as the result of a gender transition surgery. The House was scheduled to vote on this bill on January 26.



But, as available statistics show that approx 1-2 in 100 children in the US are born Intersexed, and for that reason at birth cannot be classed as either biological males or females, but may then, with parental consent, have their gender changed so that they they are raised as boys or girls, the proposal in South Dakota attempts to change reality, rather than enforce it, setting aside the question -how soon after birth is a certificate issued?

There is no biology here, this is politics invading personal space to reject an individual's right to define themsellves and insist the State Government knows best -and this from people who most often resist the State making decisions about people's lives, eg with regard to gun ownership, free speech and so forth.

As I have suggested before, this creates major problems in sports where the demarcation between 'Male' and 'Female' shapes the activities at most levels for amateurs as well as professionals, though men and women compete with each other in mixed doubles in Tennis and Badminton and the Archdeacons of Biology don't object, though I am sure in some States 'Evangeliical Christians' do think it is wrong. But they probably think it is wrong to play sports on a Sunday, just as someone from Mississippi claims God will be offended if people vote on a Sunday. South Dakota sounds more like the USSR every time I read something about it and its idiot Governor. But it can't be all bad.

[filghy2]

Transgender weightlifter Lisa Hubbard competed for New Zealand in the Olympics but was eliminated from her event without completing a lift. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-02/transgender-weightlifter-laurel-hubbard-out-of-competition/100344174

It is possible that her performance was affected by the pressure of media interest, but this does suggest that the fear that transgenders will dominate if allowed to compete in women's sports is grossly exaggerated. Weightlifting would appear to be one of the sports in which the strength advantages of being born male would be more likely to apply.

She was allowed to compete under guidelines relating to allowable testosterone levels, so it does seem possible to come up with a reasonable solution to the dilemma that balances the rights of both trans and genetic females.

[Stavros]

She was allowed to compete under guidelines relating to allowable testosterone levels, so it does seem possible to come up with a reasonable solution to the dilemma that balances the rights of both trans and genetic females.

This article with reference to two athletes from Namibia -Christine Mboma, and Beatrice Masilingi- helps explain the dilemma that has been created by the IOC -a conflict between biology and sports politics-

"In June Masilingi and Christine Mboma were barred by World Athletics (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/athletics) from running in the 400m, their chosen event at these Games. In Tokyo they have already faced questions about whether they should be running at all, and indeed (again, [aged 18 ] whether they should be classing themselves as women at all.This stems from something with which both Masilingi and Mboma were born. Naturally occurring raised testosterone levels (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/20/testosterone-limits-for-female-athletes-not-backed-by-science-say-academics) mean both have been classified as DSD, or athletes with Differences of Sexual Development, and placed – to their surprise – in a strange, indeterminate category of sporting womanhood.

The issue here is the definition of womanhood, as decreed by a narrow band of sporting administrators. Mboma and Masilingi are women. The raised testosterone levels, often a result of internal sexual characteristics, is simply a part of who they are. This state is far from unheard of. It is not an attempt to cheat, or a cancellation of biological sex, or anything other than, in pure sporting terms, a naturally occurring advantage, albeit one that is deemed unwomanly to an unacceptable degree, unfairly undainty by Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics, and his teams of experts.
There are pressing questions here about the way this kind of issue has played out in the past: the toxic spectacle of administrators, unsympathetic media and – of course – men on the internet arguing so publicly and with such certainty over the bodies of these young women."

Full article here-
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/02/masilingi-and-mboma-racing-against-olympic-elite-and-complex-cruelty

[holzz]

the NZ girl issue was hilariously ironic. all the angst and shade from the transphobes was for NOTHING.

[Stavros]

the NZ girl issue was hilariously ironic. all the angst and shade from the transphobes was for NOTHING.

I agree with you, but is it not the case that most of this manufatured angst is much ado about nothing? There will be successees and failures, but for the most part, as long as the rules apply, what's the problem -other than the rules? (!).

[steviedresses]

The LBGT community is dead wrong on this issue... and I personally am a huge supporter of Trans rights. The simple fact is men are bigger, stronger, and faster than women and no amount of HRT and surgery will change that fact. The community is going to do itself grave harm by it's instance that trans women be allowed to compete with cis women.

I ran track in High school. Sub 12 minute 2 mile. Made me a decent JV runner, crappy varsity runner. If HRT slowed me down 10% I'm still winning every meet I entered and I am competing at the state level.

Go check track times for running, distances for throwing, and heights and lengths for jumping.

Here's a couple of qualifying times for the Texas 1A state track meet:

Fastest Girl 12 minutes 7 seconds
Slowest 12 minutes 43 seconds

Fastest boy 9 minutes 24 seconds
slowest boy 10 minutes 56 seconds

uhh...

[Stavros]

The LBGT community is dead wrong on this issue... and I personally am a huge supporter of Trans rights. The simple fact is men are bigger, stronger, and faster than women and no amount of HRT and surgery will change that fact. The community is going to do itself grave harm by it's instance that trans women be allowed to compete with cis women.


I am disappointed in your post, because I don't think you have factored in the examples I provided above, where the issue for the IOC is not a male who has or is transitioing to be a female, but females with high testoserone levels that go beyond the limits set for women by the IOC, women who are thus penalized for having 'Differences of Sexual Development'. The levels of testosterone in women that the IOC finds in men is clearly a problem when the athletes concerned are women or, the case of Caster Semanya, Intersexed, it is a dilemma of their own making, and confuses the issues around Men/Women and what it means to be a Transgendered athlete.

But while I understand your argument, is it not the case that a male transitioning to female who has been replacing testosterone with oestrogen must thereby have a diminished level of performance that in effect makes that person weaker than when they were male? I don't think we can assume that the strength and speed of a Man is not affected when he transitions, and I suspect a lot of the prejudice levelled at Laurel Hubbard was due to her not being as 'Feminine' as the critics would like, which is not even ironic when you compare her physique to other female weightlifters in a discipline where bulk appears to be normal.

Lastly, some of this critique derives from the hysterical rubbish one associates with Trump and Tucker Carlson, that men are deliberately claiming to be women so they can compete unfairly with women in sport, or ogle their 'sisters' in public toilets, or worse. There might be some perverts of this kind in the USA, a country with rather a lot of perverts, but I don't think there is a crisis.

I think in the end, the IOC has created a problem by attempting to define Male and Female athletes using a scientific formula that does not appear to accommodate natural anomalies such as those found in the Namibian athletes referred to above, and may be a legacy of the poltical fall-out from the era when Soviet athletes were given drugs that altered their biology enabling them to win medals at the Olympics. That there are so few transgendered athletes competing makes this a fringe issue compared to the real probem, which is the chronic use of banned drugs and supplements by so many athletes that for someone like me, there is a lack of credibility in too many sports to be worthy of respect, of the kind one can give the teenage skateboarders.

[holzz]

The LBGT community is dead wrong on this issue... and I personally am a huge supporter of Trans rights. The simple fact is men are bigger, stronger, and faster than women and no amount of HRT and surgery will change that fact. The community is going to do itself grave harm by it's instance that trans women be allowed to compete with cis women.

I ran track in High school. Sub 12 minute 2 mile. Made me a decent JV runner, crappy varsity runner. If HRT slowed me down 10% I'm still winning every meet I entered and I am competing at the state level.

Go check track times for running, distances for throwing, and heights and lengths for jumping.

Here's a couple of qualifying times for the Texas 1A state track meet:

Fastest Girl 12 minutes 7 seconds
Slowest 12 minutes 43 seconds

Fastest boy 9 minutes 24 seconds
slowest boy 10 minutes 56 seconds

uhh...

Not as black and white as that.
Evrybody is different.

[steviedresses]

I am not referring to inter-sexed individuals. That is a whole separate issue beyond my ability to even comment on.

I am referring to natural males who decide to transition, which is their right, and then compete as females in sports. I am 6 feet, 1 inches in height. I was a bench warmer on our JV basketball team. I played in maybe 3 games during garbage time. If I had transitioned as a 16 year old I guarantee I would have been the starting on the girls team. Simply because I would be be tall (for a girl) and I had rudimentary basketball skills.

This is not prejudice on my part. These are simple facts. Men are 40% muscle compared to 28 % for women. Men have 30% more lung capacity. Men have bigger bones and larger tendons.

My son's 8th grade PE teacher called me. She was upset because he was not TRYING playing football. I found that puzzling as he is a terrific athlete and loves to compete. Than I found out it was co-ed.

Me: You mean he's playing a contact sport with the girls.
Teacher: Yes... but it's flag footbal.
Me: Are you trying to get these girls hurt? He will kill them if he tries hard.

Obviously that didn't go well.

Again, I'm not anti-trans. I fully support trans rights in all areas of their lives, except one. If a 6 foot 3 inch 225 pound 16 year old male decides to transition, a year later she is still 6'3" and has much more muscle mass than just about all 17 year old CIS women. I'm sorry dear. God played a horrible trick on you and put you in the wrong body. I support you in every aspect of your life... Except you don't get to play on the girls basketball team. It sucks but it won't be fair to the other girls.

Check out Fallon Fox. She broke her opponents eye socket. Ouch!

[dirtrail]

Truth.


I am not referring to inter-sexed individuals. That is a whole separate issue beyond my ability to even comment on.

I am referring to natural males who decide to transition, which is their right, and then compete as females in sports. I am 6 feet, 1 inches in height. I was a bench warmer on our JV basketball team. I played in maybe 3 games during garbage time. If I had transitioned as a 16 year old I guarantee I would have been the starting on the girls team. Simply because I would be be tall (for a girl) and I had rudimentary basketball skills.

This is not prejudice on my part. These are simple facts. Men are 40% muscle compared to 28 % for women. Men have 30% more lung capacity. Men have bigger bones and larger tendons.

My son's 8th grade PE teacher called me. She was upset because he was not TRYING playing football. I found that puzzling as he is a terrific athlete and loves to compete. Than I found out it was co-ed.

Me: You mean he's playing a contact sport with the girls.
Teacher: Yes... but it's flag footbal.
Me: Are you trying to get these girls hurt? He will kill them if he tries hard.

Obviously that didn't go well.

Again, I'm not anti-trans. I fully support trans rights in all areas of their lives, except one. If a 6 foot 3 inch 225 pound 16 year old male decides to transition, a year later she is still 6'3" and has much more muscle mass than just about all 17 year old CIS women. I'm sorry dear. God played a horrible trick on you and put you in the wrong body. I support you in every aspect of your life... Except you don't get to play on the girls basketball team. It sucks but it won't be fair to the other girls.

Check out Fallon Fox. She broke her opponents eye socket. Ouch!

[holzz]

I am not referring to inter-sexed individuals. That is a whole separate issue beyond my ability to even comment on.

I am referring to natural males who decide to transition, which is their right, and then compete as females in sports. I am 6 feet, 1 inches in height. I was a bench warmer on our JV basketball team. I played in maybe 3 games during garbage time. If I had transitioned as a 16 year old I guarantee I would have been the starting on the girls team. Simply because I would be be tall (for a girl) and I had rudimentary basketball skills.

This is not prejudice on my part. These are simple facts. Men are 40% muscle compared to 28 % for women. Men have 30% more lung capacity. Men have bigger bones and larger tendons.

My son's 8th grade PE teacher called me. She was upset because he was not TRYING playing football. I found that puzzling as he is a terrific athlete and loves to compete. Than I found out it was co-ed.

Me: You mean he's playing a contact sport with the girls.
Teacher: Yes... but it's flag footbal.
Me: Are you trying to get these girls hurt? He will kill them if he tries hard.

Obviously that didn't go well.

Again, I'm not anti-trans. I fully support trans rights in all areas of their lives, except one. If a 6 foot 3 inch 225 pound 16 year old male decides to transition, a year later she is still 6'3" and has much more muscle mass than just about all 17 year old CIS women. I'm sorry dear. God played a horrible trick on you and put you in the wrong body. I support you in every aspect of your life... Except you don't get to play on the girls basketball team. It sucks but it won't be fair to the other girls.

Check out Fallon Fox. She broke her opponents eye socket. Ouch!
Everybody responds to transition differently.
Not all sports are as physical as others.
So if a person transitions but loses muscle mass, should they still be denied the ability to compete? This isn't fair imho/