We’re In The Olympics

With the Olympics getting ready to start this Friday there are a couple of article about trans people taking part in it.

First Transgender Woman to Host Olympics Ceremony in Brazil
Telesurtv
August 2, 2016

A transgender supermodel will be the first transgender person to participate in an Olympics inauguration ceremony.

Brazilian model Lea T will become the first transgender woman to participate, along with other local celebrities, in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which are set to begin on Aug. 5.

"I can’t say anything yet, we need to keep the surprise, but the message is clear ... include everyone, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race or religion. We are all human beings and we are part of society. My role at the ceremony will help send this message, " Lea T told BBC.

So it looks like she will be taking part in the opening of the Olympics and in other news trans people will be able to take part as long as they are on hormones.

IOC rules transgender athletes can take part in Olympics without surgery
Female-to-male athletes can compete ‘without restriction’, while male-to-female athletes must undergo hormone therapy, according to new guidelines
The Guardian
Associated Press
Sunday 24 January 2016

Transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in the Olympics and other international events without undergoing sex reassignment surgery, according to new guidelines adopted by the IOC.

International Olympic Committee medical officials said on Sunday they changed the policy to adapt to current scientific, social and legal attitudes on transgender issues.

The guidelines are designed as recommendations – not rules or regulations – for international sports federations and other bodies to follow and should apply for this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“I don’t think many federations have rules on defining eligibility of transgender individuals,” IOC medical director Dr Richard Budgett said. “This should give them the confidence and stimulus to put these rules in place.”

Under the previous IOC guidelines, approved in 2003, athletes who transitioned from male to female or vice versa were required to have reassignment surgery followed by at least two years of hormone therapy in order to be eligible to compete.

Now, surgery will no longer be required, with female-to-male transgender athletes eligible to take part in men’s competitions “without restriction”.

Meanwhile, male-to-female transgender athletes will need to demonstrate that their testosterone level has been below a certain cutoff point for at least one year before their first competition.

So more good news.

It makes sense to go by the testosterone levels and not if they had surgery because even if they had surgery they could still have higher testosterone levels by artificial means. Also there are a number of medical reasons that make having surgery risky.