Brittney Griner Is Misdirected About Transgender Participation In Sports
As a trans woman I have to say something about Brittney Griner’s comments that there should not be gender divisions in sports, that transgender folk should not be barred from playing in sports vs biological born males/females and vice versa. Now, there is a bit of a “huh?” here because I’m not a sports fan per se, primarily a fan of combat sports but I don’t agree with her. Her viewpoint is well meaning but is not based on scientific evidence.
As a transgender woman, unfortunately I have unfair physical advantages. Cerebral palsy not withstanding and the weakness in terms of strength that come with that — technically I am NOT biologically female but CHEMICALLY female. After three years of feminizing gender affirming hormone replacement therapy there are vestiges of my former male strength. If you are male to female, your bone density and structure DO NOT change. The loads of misinformation from trans activists on Youtube and other places online flies in the face of science. A transgender female is not equal to a natural born one in terms of characteristics like bone density and structure. Now, there are boys who transition pre puberty and adult men who are lucky enough to have body types and features that are more associated with biologically born females and the same is true for women who transition who have features and bone structure that are traditionally masculine. Let’s take the sports I watch — boxing and MMA. There is absolutely NO way a biological female can compete against a biological male, with the strength, power differences. A biological male can cause SERIOUS head and other traumas to a biological woman! I mean technically, combat sport is a legalized form of assault, and in some cases murder or attempted murder. Fallon Fox and Alana McLaughlin are the only 2 transgender females to fight in minor league MMA promotions. Fox is notorious for hiding the fact she was male to female, and had also given incorrect information in interviews that her male to female HRT made her biologically identical to a woman. As I stated earlier, HRT makes only one chemically identical to biological women. Fox was knocked out by cisgender and current UFC fighter Ashlee Evans Smith, so skill from a biological woman has overcome the advantages trans women have physically.
The big three, UFC, Bellator and ONE FC would NEVER allow this. The sexist marketing of female fighters in ONE aside, and even in UFC; a transgender female would NEVER be allowed to compete against a biological female. Fox broke her opponent’s skull, and the fight of Alana McLaughlin, I saw video of and it made my stomach turn. I wasn’t watching skilled combat, I was watching something more akin to domestic violence disguised as “sport”. Back in my university days, in 2003 when I saw the Thai film Beautiful Boxer about legendary Thai boxer, model and actress Nong Toom the desire to transition to female was really manifesting itself in a way it never had previously. The movie only heightened that desire. Toom used her Muay Thai career to fund her transition. She never wished to hurt her opponents and would kiss them after matches to express her regret. Many years after she retired as a fighter, she participated in exhibition bouts against top biological female kickboxers as Jorina Baars, but Toom still had obvious advantages physically and power wise. These exhibitions were nothing more than light sparring, but still ethically it presents queries, and I don’t mean in the idiotic manner of conservative pundits Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro who truly take this type of argument to uncomfortable levels of absurdity.
I came across video of the now 26 year old Nong Rose, a transgender female Muay Thai boxer who in her career of 300 something odd bouts, is the first Muay Thai champion that is transgender to fight in France. She fights genetic males exclusively and her technical knockout loss at the hands of American Anthony Capurro was extremely sad. Capurro is too big and just had too much range for her 5'3 height and though the fact she wishes to compete is something to be applauded, I still question whether this kind of thing should take place given the physical disparities.
In boxing, the results of mixed gender matches has been spotty, as has any progress for transgender fighters. For transgender fighters, there has been no one at the top level. Lucia Rijker, co star of Million Dollar Baby and also widely regarded as the best female boxer in the world during the 1990's, fought a man and was knocked out in the late 90’s in a Muay Thai bout by Sonchai Jaidee. It was disturbing to say the least. As for transgender fighters, there as been only one, Patricio Manuel. Manuel, a Black male who took on a Hispanic name as a fighter to gain marketability, prior to transition was a top female amateur. As an amateur, Manuel was known for his exceptional power, body punching and an exciting style Upon his transition to male, he turned professional, and had a bout nationally televised. Though he won the bout Manuel was jeered, and went through several trainers, and over many years could not get his career on track. He also struggled as a gay Black man, but as far as his in ring pursuits, the machismo centric sport has never warmed to him. I do think it’s a shame the level of acceptance in our society is where it is, but because of biological differences I cannot condone transgender fighters in combat against biological men/women, or biological men vs biological women. If such individuals have a desire to compete they may do so if they wish, they understand the risks, but the cost is too great. Should Amanda Nunes fight Jon Jones? I think you know the answer.
Unless we take a niche sport like men’s rhythmic gymnastics in Spain which is absolutely identical skill and rule wise to its female counterpart, (the Japanese version is something completely different emphasizing strength and power over beauty and grace) male gymnasts do not have the flexibility, and frame advantages women have. Men’s rhythmic gymnastics in Spain, the men are absolutely equal to the women skill, body type and grace to the women, and that is beautiful.
For basketball, baseball, soccer, swimming, whatever there are simply too many physical differences biologically between men and women, transgender female athletes. There are transgender female athletes scholastically such as Lia Thomas who broke Ivy League records, and former high school track athletes, Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood pulverized their competition of biological women because of speed and power advantages. Transgender men should only compete against transgender men, and transgender women should only compete against transgender women.
I believe there was talk some years ago Griner should be the first woman to play in the NBA… she is a different case physically, incredibly tall, and robust structurally but would it be fair to put WNBA players in general in the NBA? No… too many physical differences that could have negative consequences. I mean, would it be fair to pit Naomi Osaka vs Rafael Nadal at the US Open? Absolutely not.
I am VERY open in my belief system but I do not believe gender lines should be crossed in sport between a biologically born male/female against a trans male/female. Does it matter in things like music or gaming? No way! Everyone has a fair shot. Sport? Keep the lines drawn. However I do hope we move forward in society that we can stop talking about this issue, distracting from real problems, but the amount of stupidity in these discussions must stop at the very least. The stupidity is as dumb as all the Brittney Griner is a man memes. Fin.
© 2023 Shizuka Sterns Morishita
