The media is abuzz with questions about whether transgender people should be able to compete in Olympic and other elite sports events with people of their gender, i.e., those who have transitioned to women with women, and those to men with men. The latter is unlikely to happen, as few women would transition to be men and then be capable of competing with them. Then again, you never know, with the use of steroids and many sports do not rely on strength (e.g., lawn bowls). The real question is whether transgender women should compete on the same level with those who are born women and remain so.
At the moment, some sports say no, men who have transitioned to women have an unfair advantage and it will be dangerous in contact sports as women may be hurt by the more powerful transwomen. Some say yes, it is about inclusion, and with the right controls on hormone levels, it will be a fair contest. There is a great pushback from athletes against the latter idea, as they do not agree that it will be fair.
Different solutions are possible. The answer can be an outright no with transgender athletes in their own category. This is problematic as these transwomen identify as women (or men) and there are not enough to form good competition. Another answer is to say yes with controls of the hormone level to ensure fair competition. However, science seems to suggest that if a person transitions from a man to a woman after puberty, they retain a lot of their developmental advantages. I am not sure this is true just after puberty for even as little kids at sports like cross-country running, the boys usually dominate the girls (usually with some exceptions like my daughters!). The third possibility is a separate category, but that is seen to reinforce stereotypes and there aren't enough athletes for this.
I want to propose a fourth solution for individual non-contact sports at least. Transgender athletes are clearly identified. They compete with those in their identified gender, transmen with men, transwomen with women. Then, two sets of medals are handed out at the end of the event. The top the transathletes get a medal, the top three women/men get a medal.
This kind of thing is not uncommon in club sports where you have multiple categories, such as a cross-country event when Masters, Seniors, and some junior groups race in the same race. This will mean that those born women can race those born women and may the best women win. The same with trans athletes. That means, you may come second in the race, but win gold.
Where you have team sports, this is a challenge as you will have transathletes mixed in with others born to their gender. I think where this is concerned, sports with a high contact aspect (e.g., boxing, rugby), there should be new categories created, and only when there are enough athletes, can transathletes compete. In team contact sports, teams could be allowed a limited number of transathletes, e.g., in rugby, a maximum of two per team. However, this would have to be trialed at lower levels of the game to ensure it is safe.
Still, the best solution to me, at least in individual non-contact sports, is for transwomen and women to compete in the same event. The athletes know who is in their category. They compete. Then, at the conclusion, medals given out to different categories. Just a thought.
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