Free Essay Sample on Relation With Sports

Transgender athletes are the persons who seem to have a gender identity that is different from the one that they were thought to possess at the time of their birth. There exist instances in which a person may be identified as a woman even though they were born with male genitalia. Some of the trending issues since the turn of the new millennium are transgender in sports. The transgender athletes’ issue is related to sports in a significant way, considering that there are a large number of players participating in various games around the world. They have faced resentment from their fellow athletes, especially when they are winning. It is claimed that they have extra energy levels due to a large amount of testosterone. The athletes that are transitioning from the men's to the ladies’ games are the ones that are highly affected, for it is argued that the high testosterone levels are giving them an unfair advantage over other players.

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Minority

Among the people participating in various games, the transgender is the minority groups that are attacked due to their physicality. They get discriminated with many people calling for the governing bodies to ensure that they are participating in women’s games. The fear held by the people that are against their inclusion in these games is that they will win at their expense.

Discrimination

It can be regarded as a form of discrimination when they are denied a chance to play in games of their choice, for they do not have an influence on their birth status. Therefore, the fact that they are denied a chance to play and being forced to engage in suppression measures of the testosterone in their body is a form of discrimination. It is worrying that the governing body in the various games have not instituted conclusive measures that will ensure that these players competing without any form of prejudice towards them.

Examples and How the Issue Has Transitioned Over Time

Caster Semenya is one of the transgender athletes in recent years who has faced calls for the athlete not to be included in games against other female participants. The athlete is said to have the hyperandrogenism condition that led to her body producing a high level of testosterone hormone in comparison to other women (Washington Post Staff, 2019). In 2009, she participated in world championships which she won and she was subjected to gender test, and her situation may have prompted the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to introduce the Hyperandrogenism Regulations capping the level of testosterone levels that women athletes are supposed to have in her body. The players with high levels were required to undergo the suppression process. Rachel McKinnon is another athlete that has faced related predicaments to Semenya due to her body composition with people even claiming that she is a cheat (Kearns, 2019). These players have faced many issues when they are participating in their favorite sports over the years.

Caitlyn Marie Jenner was initially born as William Bruce Jenner, and she participated in decathlete and won Olympic gold. The athlete took a career as a television personality, and she managed to hide her identity for a long time. Despite being born in 1949, it was until 2015 that she managed to let the work know that she was transgender (Sean et al., 2015). Bruce managed to compete in men’s games even though Jenner was a woman, and Bruce even married and had children. Bruce encountered various issues that were affecting her life in a negative way. There was a time that he used to sneak into his mother’s wardrobe to try her clothes, and this made him feel good. It is an indication that he was a woman even though many people viewed him as a man. The former Olympic gold medalist is now referencing to herself as Caitlyn Jenner. During the playing days, Bruce did not face many predicaments like other transgender athletes in the present world, considering that he was not being suspected. Therefore, this enabled him to continue participating in a man’s game without the other players suspecting that he was a woman.

The issue has continually transitioned with time, and a long time solution has not been raised on the way to manage the situation, considering that the topic is still debatable. The issue of transgender being denied a chance to play in their games of choice has been there for a long time. Renée Richards was one of the transgender players in the United States to garner attention in the 1970s. In 1975, she took gender reassignment surgery with the desire of becoming a woman, but she was denied chance to play tennis as a woman (Sean et al., 2015). She sued the tennis governing body and won, enabling her to play in the 1977 season. International Olympic Committee made it a requirement for transgender athletes to meet various goals for them to be allowed to participate in tournaments. The players were required to engage in hormonal therapy, that their surgical anatomical changes and assigned sex were recognized legally (Sean et al., 2015). Therefore, it is clear that the transgender being denied a chance to participate in games has been in existence for a long time. It is worrying that lasting solutions have not been developed, and the transgender players in the current world are still facing the problems that affected their counterparts in the 1970s.

The Issue Today

The issue is not conclusive, considering that some people are claiming that transgender should be denied a chance to participate in female games while others are against such statements. According to “Trans Athletes Are Posting Victories and Shaking Up Sports,” some people are raising outrage and claiming that the transgender people competing against cisgender girls and women is wrong. Based on the details raised by the author, a legal compliant is even raised to bar the Trans athletes from competing against the persons that do not match their gender identity, for it is claimed that they have unfair advantage over the other participants (Aschwanden, 2018). There has been an inconsistent mix of rules that have not managed to offer a lasting solution to the issue.

There exist instances when the transgender people are allowed to participate after undertaking a treatment program on testosterone suppression lasting for one year. However, the organizations that raise these recommendations do not provide details on the limits to testosterone levels, which leaves the issue of suppression open to discussion. The International Olympic Committee allows women to participate in the games, but they must ensure that the testosterone levels are below 10 Nano moles for every liter in a duration that is not less than 12 months.

According to the details highlighted in the article “Olympic advice on transgender athletes due after Tokyo Games,” it is clear that a significant number of people are supporting the inclusion of transgender athletes in games. The IOC is working on establishing measures that will be followed in the future when the transgender are participating in games to ensure that there are safety, inclusivity, and fairness in the sporting world (The Associated Press, 2020). Depriving these people a chance to play is wrong, for they have a right to participate in any game so long as they are acting within the necessary legal guidelines. According to the article, it is critical to find a balance for various transgender athletes have been harassed, and it is important to find a solution to this issue.

Arguments Supporting Against Transgender Athletes

Some people are supporting their inclusion while others feel that they are getting the undue advantage, and they should be given a chance to participate in games. According to Dawson (2019), prominent athletes are against the issue of transgender competing in the women’s games. They are claiming that it is unethical that a cisgender man can plan to be a “woman,” competing in a women’s game, win, and then decide to continue living as a man. One of the significant reasons why they are stating that it is wrong for a cisgender man to compete in a women’s game is because fraud can be committed through the process of gaming the system. A cis man can convince a gender clinician to label them as having gender dysphoria where they will live as a woman for a given duration. They will compete in games during this period, after which they will revert back to their organization’s life. Therefore, to ensure that there is transparency, they should not be allowed to take part in games.

Arguments Supporting For Transgender Athletes

Castillo (2014) states that transgender athletes should be allowed to play games of their choice. Being born as a transgender is not a choice, and preventing these people from competing makes them feel as if they were born in the wrong gender. Some organizations have taken measures that will ensure that these athletes are given a chance to compete in their desired games. The surgical reassignment surgery and duration of hormone therapy are needed to ensure that at least the playing field is leveled for all the competitors. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCA) has worked toward debunking the notion that the persons born as males will have an advantage over their female counterparts. The organization stated that there have never been previous cases where men have pretended to be women to ensure they get an opportunity to compete against women. Therefore, there is no need to stop the athletes from participating in the games of their desire.

Opinion

I believe that the issue of sport’s transgender athletes requires compromise not conflict despite the topic being complicated. There is no need for parties from either side getting into a conflict as either of them tries to defend their assertions. The rights of transgender people should be respected, and this means that there is a need to find a middle ground that will offer a solution to this debate. They should be allowed to enjoy the competition, and the women that have experienced medical transition be provided with a pathway to eligibility. I believe that the various governing bodies should protect the transgender players and ensure that they are provided with a platform to express themselves. The players participating in games in 1970s were subjected to prejudice with the notion that they have an advantage over the other players. Five decade later, the same problems are still in existence and players, such as Caster Semenya have to contend with the psychological trauma based on the limelight turned towards them due to their biological structures. It is crucial to protect these players and ensure that the rules are clear to avoid their discrimination.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the issue of transgender athletes participate in games receives widespread support while there are others that feel that they are gaining an unfair advantage. However, the governing bodies are working on measures that will ensure that there are inclusivity and fairness. It is not known of men that have disguised themselves as women to have an advantage in a given sport. Therefore, they should be allowed to play the games of their choice. However, it has been recommended that they have must their testosterone levels suppressed to below 10 nanomoles for every liter to ensure that everyone is playing in a fairground.

References

Aschwanden, C. (2018). Trans Athletes Are Posting Victories and Shaking Up Sports. Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/the-glorious-victories-of-trans-athletes-are-shaking-up-sports/