Dale Hansen Unplugged- Mack Beggs

Whenever I'm in the Dallas-Ft Worth area and have time to watch the local news there, I tune into WFAA-TV 8 so I can watch Dale Hansen's sports reports and his 'Hansen Unplugged' commentary.  

Yesterday he commented on Euless Trinity trans wrestler Mack Beggs' Texas Class 6A girls wrestling state championship in his weight class and the stuck on stupid UIL trans athletic policy that led to it.

Beggs because of the lack of UIL vision and their transphobia, was forced to despite being on testosterone for his transition and he and his family asking he allowed to wrestle against boys, forced by UIL bureaucrats to wrestle against girls.

That lack of UIL vision led to Beggs undefeated 56-0 championship season that shined a glaring spotlight on how unfair the UIL policy was to all concerned.   It will hopefully lead the UIL idiots in Austin to change it to mirror the more progressive NCAA standards.  

Here's Dale Hansen's commentary on Mack Beggs..

 

Mack Beggs Is The Texas Class 6A State Wrestling Champ!

Good luck Mack!.  Hope you leave the area with a historic state title win, and next year the UIL comes to its senses and allows you to wrestle against boys as you wish to do.
-TransGriot

And the first part of that statement is exactly what happened.

Mack Beggs is the 2017 Texas Class 6A state wresting champion in his 110 pound weight class after winning his girls championship match 12-1 against Chelsea Sanchez of Katy Morton Ranch HS to cap off an undefeated season.

That's not a typo.   The Texas Class 6A Girls state wrestling champion in his 110 pound weight class.

The 'Mack Attack' would have rather done so in the 6A boys division and been on the Trinity HS boys team.   UIL policy forces Texas trans athletes to compete based on the birth certificate gender marker and not their gender presentation.  

They denied the Trinity HS junior his request to compete in the boys division, and the result is the lousy no-win optics for him, his fellow competitors, and the UIL as he rolled through an undefeated 56-0 season to a state title.

Mack is also on testosterone as part of his gender transition, and that was also permissible because Mack was taking it for medical reasons, and his testosterone was below the allowed limit.

The UIL is still trying to defend the indefensible transphobic rules they put in place, and claim there's 'no interest' in changing the rules that allowed this messed up situation to happen in the first place.

But the UIL needs to join us in the 21st century and base high school athletic competition for Texas trans kids on gender presentation and not their birth certificate.

It's either the UIL come to that realization on their own or have the change forced upon them by legal action.

Mack Beggs' 6A Wrestling Championship Run Highlights UIL's Flawed Trans Athlete Policy

Mack Beggs is a trans masculine wrestler at Euless Trinity High School in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who is a few matches away from capturing the Texas 6A wrestling title in his 110 pound weight class.

The Texas 6A girls wrestling title.

Is it fair to the cis girls he is competing against in his weight class?  Nope not to them or Beggs, who would rather be competing against the cis boys.  The University Interscholastic League (UIL) the governing body for Texas high school sports and academic competitions, turned down a request made by Beggs and his family for the Trinity HS junior to be allowed to compete against boys.

The UIL is still defensive when you point out what's happening.  They say it was an open process that reflected the consensus of thought at the time, even as Texas trans people and others were warning the UIL the jacked up rules they were passing were problematic.

Last year the UIL's school superintendents and athletic directors voted to require that Texas transgender students compete based on the gender on their birth certificate instead of gender presentation,

He's in the Houston 'burbs competing in the 6A wrestling state championship meet being held at the Berry Center in Cypress this weekend.  He has successfully gotten through the first day of the 6A wrestling championship with his two opening round wins to go 54-0 on the season

But it's no thanks to the UIL that this awkward situation is taking place at all and Beggs is the favorite to be holding the Class 6A title in his weight class when the tournament ends on Saturday.

Beggs won the Region II 6A title in Allen last week after his opponent Madeline Rocha of Coppell HS forfeited the match.  Rocha still advanced to this weekend's championship matches as the regional runner up.

Nancy Beggs, Mack's grandmother and guardian said to the Dallas Morning News, "Today was not about their students winning.  Today was about bias, hatred and ignorance."

"Mack is challenging what people thought was a good policy," said Chris Mosier, founder of TransAthlete.com. "This very well may spark change from people just by seeing how the policy was not well thought out and this is the outcome of following the rules exactly as they are."
Texas is one of seven regressive states that requires trans people to compete in high school athletic competition based on the gender marker on your birth certificate instead of the more enlightened NCAA and IOC gender presentation standards.

Lou Weaver, who is the Transgender Programs Coordinator for Equality Texas and was in attendance at today's historic championship  match, points out in a Reuters story that Beggs is in compliance with current UIL rules that need to be changed, "so guys like Mack can wrestle with their peers, which would be on the boys team."

Sure hope so because that's what we trans Texans want to be able to do.  We wish to compete in whatever sport we choose as ourselves, with our peers and without unnecessary drama.

Good luck Mack!.  Hope you leave the area with a historic state title win, and next year the UIL comes to its senses and allows you to wrestle against boys as you wish to do.

Playing A Transsexual In A Bad Movie Doesn't Make You An Expert On Our Sporting Lives

One of the things I and many trans persons get sick of is people who don't live our trans lives making loud and wrong commentary about them that is detrimental to our humanity as trans people and our international human rights cause.

The latest person to fall into that trap of flapping their loud and wrong gums about our lives is actress Michelle Rodriguez.  She's already catching flak from our community concerning an upcoming movie in which she plays a doublecrossed male assassin that gets kidnapped and given SRS against his will in a movie originally called Tomboy but has now been renamed (re)Assignment.

Still not going to deflect from the fact this looming transphobic trope filled disaster of a movie will be desecrating multiplexes soon, and Trans World will still be calling out the problems in it.

I'll deal with that transphobic trainwreck of a movie in another post.  What I need to do right now is address the WTF tweet that Rodriguez sent calling for a transgender category in the Olympic Games that was aimed at South African 800m runner Caster Semenya, who goes for gold later tonight.

The first problem with this tweet is it's conflating the issues of transgender participation in sports with the issue of hyperandrogenism, and is spreading misinformation to do so.

Let me state for the record Ms. Rodriguez since you obviously aren't aware of this fact, but the IOC since 2004 has allowed trans people to compete in the Olympic Games after consulting with medical experts from around the world familiar with transgender medical issues and transgender inclusion in world sport.    

The International Olympic Committee was obviously satisfied enough about what they  heard from the IOC Medical Commission concerning transgender sporting participation in the Games to issue the Stockholm Consensus that many international sporting federations use as their guidelines for transgender sporting participation in the sporting competitions they oversee.

The International Olympic Committee also in November 2015 refined those procedures and policies in the wake of the IOC Meeting On Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism.

The NCAA also allows transgender athletes to participate in collegiate sports, and those rules are mirrored by 34 state high school sporting associations and counting.

Let me also point out for you as well Ms. Rodriguez and any other peeps believing the fallacy, that trans women after a year on estrogen and testosterone suppression hormone protocols lose whatever strength and endurance advantage stemming from going through a masculine puberty.

I played varsity tennis in high school and still play from time to time, and I noticed I lost speed on my serve as a result of being on hormones since 1994,

The fallacy that because I or any trans feminine athlete went through a masculine puberty I could go out and for example join the women's professional tennis tour and dominate it is ludicrous at best and would be demolished the nanosecond I stood on a tennis court with Serena Williams on the other side of it and had to face her 120 mph serve she would blast past me with boring regularity.

And with trans feminine kids transitioning at earlier ages, they will be going through FEMALE puberty, not a masculine one.  It's also a disservice and an insult to cisgender female athletes everywhere to falsely claim that a trans feminine athlete would simply take over their sport just because we transitioned.

I'm also disappointed Ms. Rodriguez as a fan of your acting career, a fellow woman of color and BTLG community member that you resorted to attacking Caster Semenya as your vehicle to slam trans Olympic participation.  

I'm tired of seeing the racist attacks on Semenya from white women mad that Semenya has run the fifth fastest time ever in the 800m, and alarmed about the perceived threat in their minds that she presents to their hold on a track event they have recently dominated.

The fact that Semenya was 18 and from South Africa when she ran that 1:55:49 time at the 2009 world championships, and would only get better with time and training has really 'scurred' them into action to stop her since they feared they couldn't beat her on the track.

The ongoing attacks since 2009 on Semenya's femininity and gender presentation also plays into the racist 'unwoman' trope that has plagued African descended women across the African Diaspora since slavery, and has been exacerbated by the fact she is in a same sex relationship..

Looks like Mariya Savinova, the Russian woman who won the gold in London in 2012 had to allegedly get her better athletic performance through chemistry to beat Semenya.

But back to talking about trans people and their Olympic Games participation.

The IOC has made it clear in 2004 and again in 2015 that I or any trans person who puts in the work in their chosen sport, meets the criteria from their international sporting body and their national Olympic Committee to qualify for their national Olympic team in their chosen sport will be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games.

I want to see trans women do more in the Olympics than just be part of the opening ceremonies, I want to see a trans women one day standing on a medal platform and competing and winning in their chosen sports.  The trans kids growing up today also need to see that happen in a future winter or summer games and I hope they do in the rest of my remaining time on Planet Earth.

Ms. Rodriguez, being a cisgender person playing a transsexual in a bad transsexual trope filled movie doesn't make you an expert on our sporting lives.

Being a trans person or trans ally that is cognizant of the issues that impact our lives, and has either the lived experience or has done the research to intelligently talk about it does.

Do We Finally Have Trans Olympians Present In Rio?

The IOC is declining to say whether that history has happened, and neither is the British Olympic Association or the Great Britain delegation, but the Daily Mail is reporting that a pair of unnamed British trans feminine athletes back in July were being considered for inclusion on the British Olympic team.

Trans athletes since 2004 have been eligible to compete in the Olympics, but starting with these Rio Games, provided they meet certain parameters, can compete without having genital surgery.

The two trans feminine athletes have represented Great Britain at a European championship event, and one of them has been described by Delia Johnston of Trans in Sports as 'a potential medal winner'.  According to Johnston both potential Olympians transitioned long ago, and their respective international sporting federations associations are aware of their trans status.

Their consistent sporting performances would quality them for inclusion on the team, and once selected by their sporting association would need the assent of the British Olympic Association in order to officially become part of the team.

But they are so afraid of the negativity and publicity that would inevitably come with being the first trans feminine competitors  Johnson said that one of the unnamed potential trans Olympians stated that if she were in position to win a medal, she'd hold back on her performance

I'm sorry, that's bull feces if that comment is truthful, and if this unnamed British trans athlete really feels that way, she doesn't deserve to be selected by the BOA to compete in the Olympics.  

Should you be selected, we as an international trans community deserve nothing less than you going all out for Olympic glory because you are not just competing for yourself, you are representing the hopes and dreams of a marginalized community.

It would be an insult to I and everyone around the world and our trans allies who fought tooth and nail and advocated in the IOC and international sporting federation ranks for trans athletes like you to be able to do so,  That would be an insult to the out trans athletes who have taken slings and arrows like Fallon Fox, Kye Allums,Chris Mosier  and others who want nothing more than to be able to compete in the sports they love to the best of their ability.

It would be an insult to the trans kids growing up around the world who their parents and trans elders are instilling with pride in their trans selves and the belief they can accomplish anything they wish to do, including standing on the top step of an Olympic medal platform.  

I hope that if you British trans athletes are wandering the Olympic Village in preparation for your event, congratulations for making that history, and you bear in mind you're not only representing yourselves and your country, but the entire international trans community..

IOC Relaxes Rules For Trans Athletes Without GRS

With the Rio Olympic Games taking place later this summer, there was some wonderful news coming in advance of the games that may speed up the day we see our first trans athlete participating in either a Winter or Summer Games..

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has relaxed its rules composed in 2003 that cover the participation of trans athletes in the Olympic Games.  Starting with the upcoming Summer Games and beyond, new guidelines have been issued by the IOC  that allow trans masculine athletes to be able to compete 'without restriction'.

Trans feminine athletes will not only be allowed to compete without the requirements of genital surgery, but will need to have been on a hormone regiment that reduced their testosterone below a certain level (10 nanomols per liter) for at least one year before first competition.  

Under the previous guidelines, trans feminine athletes were ineligible for the Olympics unless they had undergone genital surgery plus two years of hormone therapy.

It;s still up to the various international sporing organizational bodies to modify their policies to mirror the IOC standards, but now that the IOC has weighed in on the issue of trans athletes participation in the Olympics, we'll see which ones expeditiously do so.

Why Are The Big MMA Circuits Ignoring Fallon Fox?

One of the cool things to watch over the past year has been the rise of Fallon Fox in the women's MMA ranks.  

While some peeps have been transphobically hating on her like Ronda Rousey, Tamikka Brents, Charmaine Tweet and Matt Mitrione, others have been supportive like Liz Carmouche.

When she came out as trans last year, it appears that the many of the promoters of the larger MMA circuits like  UFC, Bellator, Invicta and World Series of Fighting smugly assumed that at age 37, Fox didn't have the skills to compete at that level or she'd fight a few times, then retire.

After the upset loss to Ashlee Evans-Smith saddled Fox with a 3-1 record, they were probably feeling quite secure in that assessment.

But since that loss, Fox has reeled off two  impressive wins to bump her record to 5-1, with the most recent one (and most satisfying so far to me) being a microwaved demolition of signed InvictFC fighter Tamikka Brents.

As Fallon continues to win, it's fairly obvious that Ms. Fox has skills and is definitely head and shoulders above WMMA regional ranks littered with female fighters with .500 records or less.

So why hasn't one of the Big Four MMA orgs signed her?   Because they are in a seriously awkward spot at this point and don't know what to do about it.  

And if you're trying to prove that WMMA is a credible sport, sooner or later the female fighters that are ducking her will have to fight her to enhance their own credibility and visibility to the Big Four MMA organizations..

The Big Four MMA orgs will feel the pressure to sign her increase, especially from the LGBT community as it becomes obvious that Fox is one of the best fighters out there and she is being
denied an opportunity to pursue it at the highest levels because of transphobia.

It's also hypocritical that you have a WMMA fighter in Jessica Rakoczy with a 1-4 record signed in the UFC and Fox has yet to get a call from the Big Four MMA orgs despite her demonstrated abilities.

If the trans and SGL community comes to the ossifying impression that Fox is being denied a place in their organizations because she's a transgender female, that's scrutiny the MMA will rue the day they invited upon themselves   It will cause GLBT advocacy organizations to review the previous grossly  transphobic comments aimed at Fox and the negative history that the sport has in general with the LGBT community.

So what are you going to do UFC, Bellator, Invicta and World Series of Fighting?   The ball is clearly in your court.   You can either sign a talented fighter, or by your inaction and stonewalling, invite more scrutiny upon you that you're not doing so because of transphobia

Fallon's Fun With Flawed TERF Sports Thinking

TransGriot Note: Been a while since I had a guest post up from my sis Fallon Fox and one slamming the TERF's. 

I get to gleefully do both at the same time with this guest post in which Fallon takes aim at the TERF's who are loud, wrong and scientifically illiterate while attacking trans women who participate in sports. 

TERFs. Every single time they have made, and will continue to make themselves look rather silly when they open their mouths against transgender women.

This reality struck me more than it has in the past with this recent small time WordPress blog from Culturally Bound Gender entitled "All the things you can't deny: Title IX, trans women, and the reality of neutrality.".

The article focused primarily on the physical height that some transgender athletes may have as a result of a likely ratio of taller transgender women in sports, and society in general. The moment I stumbled across this despicable piece of paranoid delusional drivel, I knew that it would be great idea to knock the dunce hat from atop it, grab it by the ear, drag it from obscurity, and pull it directly to the front of the room for the whole class to see. Pretty much the ones still actively promoting the ridiculous notion that trans women as a whole have 'unfair' advantages because of skeletal related 'advantages' are bigots, misinformed individuals, and TERFs also known as Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists.

The latter is an unfortunate offshoot of the feminist movement that most feminists (including the one writing this) tend to steer clear of because of their blatant hatred for men in general, and their day to day straw man attacks against transgender women. TERFs tend to see transgender women as men. A mindset that could not be farther from the actual truth, and actually goes against the documented peer reviewed findings and collective consensus of those in the fields of psychology and medical fields.

Because of not having the power to hurt men in any meaningful way out of spite for the wrongs inflicted on them by the hands of some, they seek to harm what they view as the next best thing - transgender women. They are so blindsided, so hate filled, so bitter about by their hatred of men, that they refuse to deeply fathom the reality that some women were unfortunately born with male genitalia, yet have female brains. 


A reality that has been stated repeatedly and accompanied by peer reviewed testing within the scientific and medical communities that study transgender women's brains. . This reluctance by TERFs to embrace the medical and scientific reality make me ponder if I should attempt to contact Lisa Vogel - the owner of the deeply transphobic Michigan Womyn's Music Festival  and propose that they build a gigantic mountain in the center of Michfest.    Then they could hold that shindig in the middle of winter with a womyn atop that mountain spraying it down with a fire hose just so that a small percentage of the participants who are against trans women's participation can have practice with ice skating uphill.

They'll need the ice skating practice.  Because as the months and years pass by, we learn more and more about transgender women's brains and bodies, especially when it comes to a sports setting.   Fighting the gravity of those findings is something they really need to get used to. On one hand, it hurts me to see someone so lost that they lash out on the innocent.

Because, it is truly tragic that TERFs are the way they are because of despicable misogyny against women. But, that's how many hate groups have been formed throughout history. And I almost think that it is a good thing that the TERF's continue to print and promote such rhetoric as what gets posted now and then on WordPress sites that not many within their right minds agree with.

Those irrelevant articles TERFs tend to write give those of us on the right side of history something to point at and say, "Now, look at the utter ridiculousness of what they are saying. Go ask those in the medical communities who actually study transgender bodies on a day to day basis the reality of trans women's bodies. Go ask the psychologist who actually work with transgender women on a day to day basis. They will disagree with these insane statements."

I learned a mindset within the martial art of jiu jitsu a long time ago. The thought process is, it is highly beneficial for one to sometimes use the energy and momentum of the attacks against oneself as momentum for ones own attack. This concept can be used in many situations. So that's part of the reason why, when I look at the forest before the trees, those articles that caused me to lose sleep in the past when I first came out as a transgender athlete are now the articles that cause me to sleep more soundly.

There's a shift that's been happening, a momentum for widespread understanding of transgender people and their bodies that has taken off within the last year. There is no doubt opposition to the shift. But the more the opposition flails, the more they fight, the more they sink into the quicksand of their own hatred and bigotry.

There's even beginning to be a shift within government  and businesses around transgender equality. And let's just face it one of the major reasons why TERFs and the religious right are clinging to trans participation in sport is because if we're involved in sports in any meaningful number, that will speak to the "person on the street" in a way that sports personalities reach their fan base.

If society were to see a trans woman on the Olympic team, who won for the USA, as an example, that would send a shockwave through the right. Who would they have to hate if what some consider sports to be is the last bastion for equality of humans? What straw man could they erect for Americans to hate then?

We are winning, and I'm quite sure that behind closed doors they are whining to each other and responding within their group like bunch of near death Darth Vaders. They look to each other and say, "Our arguments are dying!". The response back is heavily breathed response, "Nothing... can stop that now."

Except I highly doubt that there will a redemptive move on their part that the audience of the world will applaud in the end. Yes, on a long enough timeline the TERFs are political toast. I say that not to encourage complacency. Actually, I propose the opposite. I suggest those of us on the more rational and all around more empathetic end of spectrum shine an even bigger light in their hateful ideals as much as possible. I think it's time to lay waste to that antiquated framing that bone structure in a minority group should be cause for concern within sports.

It's about time that we poke fun and at the hate groups who stand against transgender people like we do the other hate groups that attack other minorities and seek to exclude them. Then again, it's not like I even have to wish or call for it. It's already beginning to happen in some progressive circles outside of the transgender collective.

So, let's have a little fun with them shall we? Let's examine the TERFs claims. Gather round y'all, it's fun for the whole family. Let's examine the "All the things you can't deny: Title IX, trans women, and the reality of neutrality." nonsense.

Let's observe the height of Gabrielle Ludwig, the college basketball player the blog attempts to attack. Then, let's compare that height to the best WNBA player on the planet. Gabrielle Ludwig's height is 6' 6". Wouldn't you know it? The blog was correct! That's incredibly tall for an average woman in the United States, that is for certain, no?

Then we have Britney Griner, a cisgender woman who stands at a whopping 6' 8". Two inches taller than her transgender competitor.

Only, she's not Gabrielle's competitor.  Britney Griner is a WNBA player and one of best in the world.  Her skill level would likely crush our transgender college player if they played one on one.  That's not to say Ludwig is not talented. She is!  It's just - well, like other women, some can be more talented, or have a higher skill level than others.

If we think about the blog's perspective, that when certain minority groups have populations that happen to be taller than others, we should separate those groups in competitions all by themselves, we naturally have to consider what that would mean for minorities across the board.

See, what slipped by the TERFs is that height disparities among other minorities happen all of the time in sports. Take the Dinkans for example. Dinkans like model Atong Arjok are statistically the tallest group of humans on planet Earth. Yet nobody in their right mind would question their participation in the height category.

If you have a basketball player who happens to be of Dinkan ancestry, it's likely that they will be hella tall! Now, do we say that because of this, we ban all Dinkan people from basketball as we must look out for the interest of Asian people who may be at a disadvantage in the height department?

No, we don't. Because we realize doing so would be racist as hell. Not to mention that not all Dinkan people will be tall, and not all Asian people short. And what if all Dinkan people happened to be over 6' tall? Do we then say that no Dinkans can participate in basketball? No, we don't.

As I mentioned earlier. Asians are the shortest ethnicity by ratio. Almost everyone knows that this is a fact. You will rarely see a tall Asian in basketball within the United States, although it does happen. I only have to mention the names  Zheng Haixia or Yao Ming to illustrate my point.

Remember Manute Bol ? All 7' 7" of him? Remember how he was actually celebrated for his height? What a marvel! What a player we'd like to have on our team! What a hero! He had Dinkan ancestry yet nobody says a damn thing about banning Dinkans from basketball. Know why? Because being against Manute Bol's participation in basketball because of his height would be racist.

Guess what? Being against Gabrielle Ludwig's participation in basketball because of her height would be (and is) transphobic. Of course, it's quite obvious what is going on here. We happen to live at the time in our American history where we are at the tipping point where transgender people are beginning to gain rights, and the bigotry of years past is starting to fade a little bit as more correct information is getting out there, and people are starting to see us as fellow human beings.

And have we all noticed noticed how opponents of trans participation in sports have been laying off of the whole strength advantage nonsense lately because the correct medical authorities who were in the know, exposed their pseudoscientific ignorance within this last year?  Those who were more sane and educated beat the opposition back, and held a light to their bigotry. All of this happened because some had the audacity to actually stand up and fight for themselves, and their allies heard the drum beats of those calling for promotion of the truth, and took the initiative to stand with them. We will beat them back on this height and bone structure nonsense also. It's the last thing that they have to cling on to, and their grip is slipping quickly.

So, TERFs, I know that you're out there dabbing the sweat from your foreheads as you click and type away from your keyboards. My message to you is bring it! Give us more and more fuel to politically dump over your bigoted mindsets that are already going up in flames. This is comedy at this point. And I'm loving every moment of it. Please write more. We will be waiting.

Since When Did Transfeminine Athletes Have An Advantage Over Cisfeminine Ones?

'The Women’s Sports Foundation supports the right of all athletes, including transgender athletes, to participate in athletic competition that is fair, equitable and respectful to all--Women's Sports Foundation, 2011 'Participation of Transgender Athletes In Women's Sports '
I'm really getting beyond sick and tired of being sick and tired of hearing, along with with my transfeminine athletic sisters around the world this ignorant and repeated far too often bull feces by cis people that transfeminine athletes have an advantage over their cis feminine counterparts. 

Been hearing that tired argument since Renée Richards sued the USTA in 1977 for the right to play in the US Open.  

That argument defies logic and is an insult to the competitive abilities of cis feminine athletes to suggest that a trans feminine athlete would instantly dominate whatever cisfeminine sporting ranks they compete in. 

I played varsity tennis in high school and still play from time to time.  But there is no way in Hades I can beat a Serena Williams or any professional women's tennis player even on their worst day and I simultaneously crank my game up at that moment to an A++  level.  To suggest I can simply because I showed up on the planet in a masculine body half a century ago and just show up on the court to play them is delusional.   

And speaking of Renée Richards, know how many Grand Slam tournaments she during her pro career? Same as Anna Kournikova. ZERO  Renee Richards had more tennis success as a coach for Martina Navratilova

The 'transfeminine athletes have an advantage over cisfeminine competitors' meme is one that needs to die a swift and painful death.   It is used far too often to exclude trans women from competition and has its roots in the same racist rhetoric that was used to enable discriminating against African-American athletes and justify segregated sports in the Jim Crow era. 

Dr.Eric Vilain, director of the Center for Gender-based Biology, and chief of medical genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles, has long ago debunked the idea that transgender women who have been on hormone replacement therapy for a significant amount of time retain some sort of advantage over their cisgender counterparts:

"Research suggests that androgen deprivation and cross-sex hormone treatment in male-to-female transsexuals reduces muscle mass; accordingly, one year of hormone therapy is an appropriate transitional time before a male-to-female student athlete competes on a women's team."

But yet the ignorance, as evidenced by the recent Wendy Williams show panel and CrossFit's transphobic response to Chloie Jonsson still persists.

This from the general counsel for CrossFit:

"Chloie was born genetically- as a matter of fact- with an X and a Y chromosome and all of the anatomy of a male of the human race... [A] male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women. We owe it to the competition and the whole pool of female athletes to exclude Chloie from the participating in the female division."

How the hell do you know what Chloie Jonsson's chromosomal makeup is?   Unless you have some special mutant powers we aren't aware of, the only way you can tell someone chromosomal makeup is by genetic testing. 

Note to the transphobic and scientifically ignorant.   XX and XY aren't the only sex chromosomal combinations that humans have.  There's XXY,  XXX, XYY, XXXY, XO...

Because of that ignorance, the California based fitness trainer was denied the opportunity to compete in the International CrossFit Games, which seeks to find the fittest men and women on the planet.

Note it didn't say fittest cis men or cis women on the planet.

Jonsson is now suing CrossFit for $2.5 million for violating the state anti-discrimination law that covers trans people.  The case is scheduled to go to court in Santa Cruz, CA in July and it would be wise for CrossFit to settle because other major international sporting organizations, including the International Olympic Committee and the NCAA have clearly defined policies and guidelines concerning trans athletes. 

Bottom line is that trans athletes not only want to, but deserve the chance to compete in sports without drama just like anyone else on this planet.   Denying transpeople that opportunity because of your transphobic bigotry and prejudice is not only wrong, but in CrossFit's case may cost them a lot of cash. 

Let my trans people play.   Let my trans people compete.  Let my trans people participate in sports without drama.

Fallon Fox Excels-People Hate

One of the ongoing arguments that has occurred ever since Renee Richards sued the USTA and in 1977 won the right to play in the US Open and on the women's professional tennis tour is carping about the 'unfair advantage' trans women have over their cis female counterparts in sporting events.

Trans teen Jazz was barred for two years from playing in her youth soccer league because of those same fears. She and her parents had to appeal the decision of the Florida Youth Soccer Association through various administrative levels until the US Soccer Federation board of directors not only unanimously agreed to let her play as a girl, they got busy devising policies to cover future trans soccer athletes.   

Canadian downhill mountain biker Michelle Dumaresq went through the same drama in the 2K's when she started winning races and the cis women bikers who once encouraged her to compete in their ranks started hatin'.  

Now comes the latest gender sporting kerfluffle involving mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox.  She's been kicking butt and taking names in the MMA ranks with a 5-0 record.  In her last bout she knocked out her opponent Erica Newsome 39 seconds into the first round.

But after revealing in a Sports Illustrated interview she's trans, there is now drama concerning her fighting license.

.

"The medical community stands behind me in that in there's no unfair competitive advantage, like my competition have said," Fox said. "I started training in 2008, which is about two years after my gender reassignment surgery. My first MMA match was about a year and a half ago."

So what's the fuss?  There is a perception that a transfeminine athlete has an advantage when she competes against cis feminine athletes because her teen body developmental years were influenced by testosterone.  It's also marked by a flawed assumption that all trans feminine athletes are tall and have exceptional sports skills.

It's flawed because trans women come in all shapes, sizes and sporting ability levels.  That specious argument is not borne out by scientific evidence, research or the results on the playing fields either.

Renee Richards while a decent player and excellent coach, had the same number of career Grand Slam tournament wins as Anna Kournikova did during her career (zero).

Mianne Bagger so far isn't dominating the women's professional ranks as was hysterically feared when she was allowed to play after the LPGA scrapped its 'female at birth' rule.

But Fallon Fox is correct in one regard.  The international athletic and world community needs to educate itself about transgender athletes.  It also needs to create competition rules based on scientific evidence and not emotion that allow trans athletes to get in the game and compete.