“Allowing biological males to compete against biological females is dangerous.” - Payton Mcnabb
Payton Mcnabb, a high school volleyball player from North Carolina, was stripped away of her ability to compete after being hit in the face by an opposing team’s spiker last September. She sustained long-term mental and physical injuries, including a concussion and neck injuries, impaired vision, partial paralysis on her right side, constant headaches, anxiety, and depression. The spiker was a transgender woman who has transitioned from being a biological male.
There are stark differences in men’s and women’s biological capabilities when it comes to sports. Without proper rules and policies from governing bodies of sports regarding transgender athletes, they are allowed to compete in their preferred gender, which may cause injuries, accidents, or unfairness due to varying biological makeups of both genders. It is due to this reason that transgender women should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports––not only is it dangerous but it also is unfair to women.
Biological males are naturally stronger due to having a higher ratio of muscle mass to body weight and bigger and longer bones. Having larger lungs gives them a higher oxygen capacity, consequently, giving them better cardiovascular fitness, speed and acceleration, and advantages when using their limbs.
Even transgender Caitlyn Jenner, an American decathlete who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as William Bruce Jenner, expressed the unfairness in policies for women’s sports. “I went through male puberty and I was strong, I was 6’2…and I’m 72 years old and I can still hit a ball…Why? Cause my arms are long, you know, my legs are long…I transitioned seven years ago…and there’s still a lot left over there,” Jenner said. The Olympic gold medalist has been a constant advocate for keeping fairness in women’s sports.
Together with Mcnabb and Jenner is Riley Gaines, whose NCAA trophy was given to trans woman Lia Thomas after tying for fifth in the 200m freestyle. After her transition, Thomas suddenly topped the women’s scoreboards, lessening the chances for the fastest biological female to place first.
Developments and rules regarding this sensitive issue are consistently being adjusted by governing bodies of sports to ensure fairness for women athletes in women’s sports. For instance, the World Athletics announced in March that transgender athletes who transitioned after puberty may not compete in women’s events while FINA will only allow athletes who have transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s swimming events.
Even then, there is still a long way to go. Implementing boundaries and new policies in this constantly changing world allows women across all sports to participate in competitions in safer environments and without having to worry whether or not their opponents are biological males, which hinders them from well-deserved wins. The end goal is for a safe and fair environment for women, men, and transgender athletes to compete in. As Jenner said, “We have to keep it fair for women.”