I have always believed that trans people should be able to play on the team of their gender identity after they have been on hormones for two years or are on puberty blockers, but this article out of Iran makes me wonder if they are cheating by having mostly trans athletes on their team.
So to answer my question, if they have been on hormones than I would say that it is not cheating but I think that the team probably thought that there is an advantage into have trans women on the team.
Transgenders Of The AyatollahThe article doesn’t point out if the players are on hormones and the article also erroneously reports that,
Liberty News
By Adam Campbell
October 3, 2015
Eight of the “women” on Iran’s female soccer team are actually physically and biologically men, who claim to be “transgender.”
None of the eight have undergone a formal sex change operation.
[…]
It’s unclear whether or not the Iranian government had anything to do with stacking, but government agents have vowed to force players to undergo gender testing to get to the bottom of the scandal.
Male-to-female transgender athletes have long been a point of contention in sports–largely because men have a stronger build, larger bodies, and more muscle definition, which doesn’t go away even as they transition their gender. It often affects not just the fairness of the game, but the safety of the players.Muscle mass does greatly decrease with cross gender hormones and after two years a trans woman muscle definition is the same as a woman.
So to answer my question, if they have been on hormones than I would say that it is not cheating but I think that the team probably thought that there is an advantage into have trans women on the team.
First let me say, I am in aw that you have been writing a post everyday for 10 years. I am coming up on my one year anniversary and more than once, it was tough to find something to write about.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting subject. I was wondering why you say it takes two years for Transwomen to reach a female level of muscle mass? Is it from your personal experience, experience from friends or from research?
I am asking because I will start hrt soon. I have been exercising with alot of cardio to burn fat and to keep my muscle mass low.
I was hoping to get my muscles, especially around the shoulders within a female range within the first year.
Once you start Cross Gender Hormones, the Standard of Care v7 says this about muscle mass,
ReplyDeleteDecreased muscle mass/strength, Expected onset 3–6 months, Expected maximum effect 1–2 years
http://www.wpath.org/uploaded_files/140/files/Standards%20of%20Care,%20V7%20Full%20Book.pdf
And the NCAA policy on trans female athletes says,
A trans female (MTF) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for Gender Identity Disorder or gender dysphoria and/or Transsexualism, for the purposes of NCAA competition may continue to compete on a men’s team but may not compete on a women’s team without changing it to a mixed team status until completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.
https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Transgender_Handbook_2011_Final.pdf