IOC to ban transgender women from all female Olympic events

[AnAlternateOpinion]

OK, fair enough.

How does that work for high school sports?

Like I have repeatedly said, this issue is complicated and rather than seek an equitable solution for all parties involved, TBTB have just decided to ban everyone that is transgender regardless of their circumstances.

At the high school level, again, those not undergoing the effects of male puberty and have fully socially transitioned should not be scrutinized and allowed to compete without question, however, the number of kids in this cohort are extremely small, like 0.017% of kids that are diagnosed as trans and I'm guessing that many in this group aren't even interested in sports?

Peer reviewed study:
Gender-Affirming Medications Among Transgender Adolescents in the US, 2018-2022

Media analysis:
Here’s the Real Number of Children Receiving Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment

what's the criteria?
who gets to decide,
and who pays for the certification on a case-by-case basis

Previously in my state, before transgender youth were banned from sports, there was a state organization that provided a case-by-case evaluation of trans kids wanting to play sex segregated sports. Both sides of the argument were happy with this arrangement and it worked well for a number of years even though during its existence it evaluated a whopping total of FOUR individuals.

I am not going to deny that at the high school level determining what is fair to everyone is challenging and I have very mixed feelings about it. Very few trans youth actually have access to puberty or testosterone blockers or cross-sex hormone therapies but I will point out that there are literally thousands of trans kids across the country that are playing sports that nobody ever hears about as only the ones that do top their categories get any attention in the media and is usually from overblown and hysterical conservative news sources.

As I said many times, this is complicated, I have mixed feelings about it and even those feelings have changed over time.

[DBCowboy]

 

As I said many times, this is complicated, I have mixed feelings about it and even those feelings have changed over time.

It's not complicated.

Boys play in boys sports.

Girls play in girls sports.

Don't really care what anyone "feels" they are.

[putnam6]

Like I have repeatedly said, this issue is complicated and rather than seek an equitable solution for all parties involved, TBTB have just decided to ban everyone that is transgender regardless of their circumstances.

At the high school level, again, those not undergoing the effects of male puberty and have fully socially transitioned should not be scrutinized and allowed to compete without question, however, the number of kids in this cohort are extremely small, like 0.017% of kids that are diagnosed as trans and I'm guessing that many in this group aren't even interested in sports?

Peer reviewed study:
Gender-Affirming Medications Among Transgender Adolescents in the US, 2018-2022

Media analysis:
Here’s the Real Number of Children Receiving Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment


Previously in my state, before transgender youth were banned from sports, there was a state organization that provided a case-by-case evaluation of trans kids wanting to play sex segregated sports. Both sides of the argument were happy with this arrangement and it worked well for a number of years even though during its existence it evaluated a whopping total of FOUR individuals.

I am not going to deny that at the high school level determining what is fair to everyone is challenging and I have very mixed feelings about it. Very few trans youth actually have access to puberty or testosterone blockers or cross-sex hormone therapies but I will point out that there are literally thousands of trans kids across the country that are playing sports that nobody ever hears about as only the ones that do top their categories get any attention in the media and is usually from overblown and hysterical conservative news sources.

As I said many times, this is complicated, I have mixed feelings about it and even those feelings have changed over time.

Thanks for your thoughts, you have a fairness and rationality that are appreciated.

As far as I can tell, this is an IOC decision that doesn't affect what individual school districts do or don't do.

The numbers are so low... it seems silly with all thats happening in the world and the obvious progress to the cause, to insist the 99.9904% conform to the .1196%
 

Trans athletes must meet hormone therapy requirements (e.g., testosterone suppression for 1+ year) to compete in women's categories, which further limits numbers. A 2023 analysis by Outsports identified ~47 openly trans college athletes (including trans men and nonbinary individuals), but explicit scholarship details were rare and unconfirmed beyond a few high-profile cases.
Documented Examples of Trans Women with Scholarships:

• Lia Thomas (swimming, University of Pennsylvania, NCAA Division I): Competed 2021–2022 after transitioning; won the 2022 NCAA women's 500-yard freestyle title. She received partial athletic scholarship support as a recruited D1 swimmer, though exact details aren't public.
  
• Tate Drageset (volleyball, University of Washington, NCAA Division I): Awarded a women's volleyball scholarship in 2023 as a high school recruit; one of the few explicit confirmations.
  
• CeCé Telfer (track & field, Franklin Pierce University, NCAA Division II): Won the 2019 NCAA women's 400m hurdles national title. Competed on partial scholarship aid, per team rosters and reports. These are among the most cited cases; others (e.g., volleyball players like Chloe Anderson at Santa Ana College) competed but lack confirmed scholarship ties.
  

Broader Statistics on Trans Athlete Participation:

• High school: Trans girls represent ~0.00004%–0.5% of athletes in states with inclusive policies (e.g., Kansas, Connecticut), per state athletic associations. Only ~34 openly trans athletes competed across all U.S. college levels as of 2023 (ACLU Ohio data).
  
• Overall impact: A 2022 national analysis by The 74 found no evidence of trans women "driving away" cis women from sports or scholarships; girls' high school participation rose 13.4% from 2012–2019 amid growing inclusion policies. UN and SheWon.org reports claim ~890 "lost opportunities" (medals/records/scholarships) since 2001, but these are unverified estimates from advocacy groups and include non-scholarship items; fact-checks (e.g., Reddit analyses, Kevin Drum's reporting) show trans win rates <0.1% in women's events.
  
• International/Olympic: No trans woman has won an Olympic medal in women's events or received associated scholarships/endorsements; only one (Laurel Hubbard, weightlifting, 2021 Olympics) competed without medaling.
  

Why the Number Is So Low:

• Barriers: Hormone therapy reduces performance edges (e.g., muscle mass drops 5–10% after 1–3 years, per UW Medicine studies), but stigma, bans in 24+ U.S. states (as of 2025), and NCAA policy shifts (e.g., February 2025 restriction to birth-assigned sex for women's categories) limit access.
  
• No "Domination": Trans women win ~0.1–1% of events where they compete, per Outsports and Scientific American reviews; most lose to cis women.
  
• Data Gaps: Sources like the NCAA don't track scholarships by gender identity. Estimates extrapolate from ~40–50 trans college athletes total (pre-2025 bans).
  

 

[UltraBudgie]

TBH, I am not a fan of "transgender women" in sports at the elite level who have undergone male puberty regardless of their current testosterone levels.

However with that said, AMAB trans individuals who have never undergone male puberty thanks to GnRH agonists (blockers) and then maintain negligible testosterone levels do not develop the physical characteristics that would provide advantages over natal females and should be allowed to compete or at least be allowed an individualized evaluation for eligibility rather than be banned outright as a matter of blanket policy.

I think there is much room for flexibility, and while strictly sexually segregating sports might be a simplistic solution to ensure fairness of some sort, there are cases where men and women can and should compete—issues of trans-identity aside, even. When where and how is, in my opinion, very dependent on the sport and context. But at the elite levels of high-stakes competitiveness, it doesn't make sense to me to allow "fuzziness" in the rules, because as we all know such flexibility can be unfortunately "gamed" for advantage.

[DBCowboy]

I think there is much room for flexibility, and while strictly sexually segregating sports might be a simplistic solution to ensure fairness of some sort, there are cases where men and women can and should compete—issues of trans-identity aside, even. When where and how is, in my opinion, very dependent on the sport and context. But at the elite levels of high-stakes competitiveness, it doesn't make sense to me to allow "fuzziness" in the rules, because as we all know such flexibility can be unfortunately "gamed" for advantage.

I don't mind if men and women compete in chess.

[UltraBudgie]

I don't mind if men and women compete in chess.

Exactly. Or ping-pong, archery, equestrian, curling, rock-climbing, or even golf and long-distance swimming. And I really don't "mind" unfair competition, if the participants all agree; I just don't think it's fair to force it on people.

[KrustyKrab]

My daughter’s and I raced karts for many years and for three years they dominated all the boys and won state championships.  But…..that’s a skill sport not one of strength and physical speed and there are no men and women’s brackets in racing.   One of the few sports where men and women compete together and it remains fair.

[AnAlternateOpinion]

* The International Chess Foundation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The World Darts Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The English Blackball Pool Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* USA Archery has banned transgender women from competition.

* USBC, the national governing body for bowling has banned transgender women from competition.

Some of these I can almost understand or see the reasoning behind if I stretch my imagination but come on, really? Darts? Chess?

All these bans against transgender girls & women in sports aren't really what they seem.

The Real Threat to Women’s Sports? It’s Not Trans Athletes

Fact vs. Fiction: Breaking Down the Truth About Trans Women in Sports

The Impact of Transgender Sports Participation Bans on Transgender People in the US

The Moderate Case Against Transgender Sports Bans

OPINION: We are pediatricians. We oppose banning transgender youth from sports

With so much hysteria and hand wringing about trans girls in sports and trans in general, when all those naturally born female athletic and masculine leaning types and butch lesbians or even women that don't look feminine enough start and keep having their gender policed, maybe one of these days people will chill out on this whole thing that's been so completely blown out of proportion for such a small percentage of the population.

Nah, who am I kidding? Haters gonna hate, right?

[KrustyKrab]

* The International Chess Foundation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The World Darts Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The English Blackball Pool Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* USA Archery has banned transgender women from competition.

* USBC, the national governing body for bowling has banned transgender women from competition.

Some of these I can almost understand or see the reasoning behind if I stretch my imagination but come on, really? Darts? Chess?

All these bans against transgender girls & women in sports aren't really what they seem.

The Real Threat to Women’s Sports? It’s Not Trans Athletes

Fact vs. Fiction: Breaking Down the Truth About Trans Women in Sports

The Impact of Transgender Sports Participation Bans on Transgender People in the US

The Moderate Case Against Transgender Sports Bans

OPINION: We are pediatricians. We oppose banning transgender youth from sports

With so much hysteria and hand wringing about trans girls in sports and trans in general, when all those naturally born female athletic and masculine leaning types and butch lesbians or even women that don't look feminine enough start and keep having their gender policed, maybe one of these days people will chill out on this whole thing that's been so completely blown out of proportion for such a small percentage of the population.

Nah, who am I kidding? Haters gonna hate, right?

It’s not about hate it’s about common sense.   Apparently you don’t care about women’s right’s if you can’t see issue with males in women’s sports.  Every trans in women’s sports is taking away opportunities from women, some that have trained all there life only to have it taken away by a “woman” that was on a man’s team a year or two prior, it’s BS.  And on top of it you have women getting severely hurt as in the girl that had a volleyball drilled in her head by an trans and sent to the hospital.   

Anyone that condones this crap needs to have their heads examined.   It’s been proven time after time that it’s unfair to the women competing.

[UltraBudgie]

* The International Chess Foundation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The World Darts Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* The English Blackball Pool Federation has banned transgender women from competition.

* USA Archery has banned transgender women from competition.

* USBC, the national governing body for bowling has banned transgender women from competition.

Um, no they haven't. I checked, and each of them has sex-segregated tournaments and teams (for some reason—I don't see why but I'm not at the elite level in any of those sports). They allow men to compete in the men's sections and women to compete in the women's sections. No one is "banned".