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Commentary
Genitals Aren’t Used to Play Sports
Transphobia and misogyny are being legislated in the U.S.
Ohio is the most recent state to pass a bill that purports to help student athletes while actually harming a handful that legislators (mostly Republicans) find “suspect”. The suspicion? That boys are playing girls’ sports. Because they can’t understand that trans girls are not boys. And based on the language in the bill, they don’t even understand what defines a “girl” anyway (hint: it’s a made up social role called gender and based on future sexual reproduction capacity).
They think that testing hormone levels, inspecting a child’s internal and external genitalia, and chromosome testing will protect girls from these “suspect” boys. Problem is, what normal testosterone levels in girls should be can exist in a very large range and, though males should be in a much higher range, delayed puberty, chronic health conditions, and a number of other factors can alter them. And they usually aren’t measured until adolescence — what about student athletes who haven’t yet hit puberty? They’re also going to be in for a surprise when they start karyotyping and realize that the XX/XY dichotomy is simplified to explain reproduction. And what about the exam of their genitals? They’re going to force young girls to undergo a vaginal exam just so they can catch a few trans athletes?
Turns out, a lot of states are run by legislators who think they’re doctors…
