(Rant) Extremely frustrated by trans exclusion in the 2024 Olympics

[Asking Queries]

Trigger warning/content warning: 2024 Olympics, transphobia, strong feelings of upset, censored cursing.



Hi everyone,

I wasn’t sure where to post this (whether it should go in the gender area or here), but here seems appropriate because it’s kinda rant-y.

For a bit of context, I’m a trans girl, so the topic of trans people in sports feels very important and emotional to me.

I was happily watching the 2024 Olympics today, until I decided to look up the restrictions for trans athletes (honestly that in this context, that term almost seems like a dog whistle for trans women), and surprise surprise (sarcasm), they are heavily restricted.
I feel just so… disgusted and disappointed. Honestly, so what if trans women are better than cis women (in my opinion, they probably aren’t to any meaningful degree)? Don’t we (trans fems/women) deserve this, after all that we go through, to see (and for the few people who are good enough for the Olympics, to compete) trans women doing this?
And the news coverage, the f——— (I think it makes sense to censor this in case it’s triggering, I’m using the F curse word) coverage. You know the article’s legit when the scientific paper it references says that “‘trans women aren’t biological men’” (sarcasm). Yeah, I needed a f——— paper to tell me that (sarcasm). Some nonbinary people are going to compete, which is great, but I don’t see any mention of any trans women or men.
I’m so f——— tired of being the “topic”, of my very existence and physiology being debated and mocked. Honestly, I don’t really care if it’s unfair for trans women to compete in sports — neither is transphobia. (I recognize that this last sentence is vindictive — I think it’s important to include to show my feelings about this.)

Please note: discrimination against trans men is very important and serious, I just don’t feel equipped (in terms of knowledge or experience) to talk about it, especially around sports.

I wonder if other people (any gender) are experiencing feelings like this and want to talk about it, I don’t really have any trans fem people to talk to in real life about this.

- AQ

PS: So it’s

[Sam W]

Hi AQ,

I 100% hear you on this, and it's frustrating as all get out to have seen the acceptance around trans folks in sports swing so hard in the direction of bans. I remember the Caster Semenya case from back in college and wanting to tear my hair out at the reduction of "more testosterone"="better at sports" (Semenya is intersex and a woman).

It's such an ugly combination of transphobia, racism, misogyny that leads to trans folks being excluded from their sports (from what I've seen, it sort of happens to trans men and trans women in slightly different ways. With trans women, it's the "you have an unfair advantage" and trans guys it's "lol, you think you can compete with me."). Too, as a woman who's done sports of some shape since high school, it's maddening to see people who think title nine isn't necessary turn around and demand exclusion of trans women to "protect" women's sports. There's also, I think, a thread of how people still assume women's sports/leagues are inherently easier to be in to the point that the mere presence of a penis means someone can dominate them.

I don't have a good solution at a systemic level that isn't just "re-do the entire system, including the idea that most sports inherently need to be gender segregated and also make transphobia have high enough social consequences that people knock it off." But in my own life, what I try to do is support trans athletes in sports I follow (buying merch, talking them up to others, supporting inclusive gyms, etc) and choosing to only engage in athletic spaces that are accepting; if a gym or a league isn't trans friendly, it's not getting my membership.

[Asking Queries]

Hi Sam W, thanks for saying all of this,

Thanks for bringing up Caster Semenya, I hadn’t heard of her. It’s interesting (and extremely frustrating…) how the discussion of these issues by news (and they people they quote) so often brings up language of gender, it really highlights how cis ideas of gender, sex, and athletic performance are interlinked — by their logic, trans and intersex women don’t just have more testosterone which might give them an advantage, they are “men” because they do, and “men” are better then “women”.

100% agree with this. I haven’t heard about title nine before this, but it is definitely maddening how people talk about “protecting” women and then exclude trans women, as if trans women aren’t women. (Which is of course exactly their point.)

I agree that re-doing the entire system kinda seems like the only systemic solution, and hopefully I’ll find some trans athletes/gyms to support.

PS: I’ve started saying “good luck” (in the genuine sense) when ending sessions with my therapist, and that feels appropriate here. Good luck.

- AQ

[Jacob]

Let me share in the frustration too, both in how the Olympics have moved the goalposts to exclude trans women in such cynical ways, and in how we talk about the Olympics in general.

The irony is not lost on me that at the exact same time so many of the participating countries have been actively restricting care to trans youth, the sports introducing new restrictions at this years games have announced that you must have transitioned by the age of twelve to compete. You're not allowed to transition, but you also must have transitioned.

This replaces the 'testosterone' testing that affected Semenya Caster, but the message is basically the same. Some women are to be considered a threat to other women based on their bodies, so much so that they are disqualified from being women as far as the games are concerned.

There are very few trans women who have ever competed in the Olympics. Those would want to don't deserve this and neither do the the millions upon millions of people being fed this line of demonization that inevitably hurts trans people everywhere.

Maybe it's my last-accross-the-finish-line experiences in P.E. speaking here, but I also just kind of see the Olympics, and mega-sized sporting events as inherently messed up. I always loved running around with my friends but hated being forced to compete against each-other. School bullies always had some sort of athletic ability. And then on the spectator side, obsession with national success at sporting events never felt like it wasn't linked to racism to say the least. And that's before I knew the racist origins of the games.

I understand that spectator sports help people with troubled relationships with their dads actually connect, and that sport is one of the few places you can go from being dirt poor to mega-rich. But I don't see why you have to be able to run 100m in 10s to be able to finally feed your community, when there are some people who were not only born into exactly that kind of wealth, but also were the ones who impoverished and displaced that same community to build their stadiums and enrich themselves corruption and allll that, profiting explicitly off your ability to run 100m in 10s.

All of that to say I find it weird when people make out that transphobia at the Olympics betrays the purpose of the Olympics. To me it just confirms that it's stated aims are just marketing. When racism is a bad look they switch to transphobia, all as if its just technicalities.

We like seeing people do incredible things, and if there was no profit to be had from it, and no Olympics, I'm so so so certain we would still find ways to enjoy sport, and honor record-breaking feats but we'd be (in my opinion) better off without this global machinery happy to spread propaganda as "concern" and sports-washed "fairness".

[Asking Queries]

Hi,

I agree entirely, it is a cruel irony that transition before twelve is required, but many participating countries are restricting care to youth.

I really appreciate how you phrased this, and it is heartbreaking and deeply transphobic how previously “high” (in the eyes of the games) testosterone and now being trans is equated with not being a woman. It really shows how transphobia operates, as a system that assigns gender to sex and uses that language to misgender and mock trans people.

I totally agree, and I think that demonization is an appropriately strong word.

As an autistic person who never really enjoyed athletic competition or enjoyed it, I think my experience might be somewhat similar to yours. I like doing (some) sports with my friends, but the enjoyment usually decreases when it becomes a competition. I agree with your thoughts about the inherently racist aspects, although I don’t know enough about racism and nationalism to feel comfortable adding on.

I agree, it feels like the Olympics gives stories of individual success while downplaying the systemic harms and injustices that make it possible.

I agree, and I also wonder (although I’m not saying that you implied this) if there is an element in which the purpose of the Olympics is to further racism and other forms of discrimination, and to uphold current financial distributions while making it look like the purpose is the opposite.

I also think that we would be better off without the Olympics, and the weaponization of “concern” and “fairness”, as if fairness in sports is the only and most important kind. I also really appreciate your first point about the moving of the goal posts, which I think reflects a change in (at least open) tolerance of racism towards it being less tolerated, and towards transphobia seemingly being more tolerated.

Thank you for all of these thoughts, and I hope my response is more then just saying “I agree” a bunch of times.

Good luck,
- AQ

[Bowler]

I personally don't feel like the Olympics as a concept is an automatic negative, meant for discrimination. Having a singular event for the world to come together, once in a while, helps promote a sense of community and world peace, I feel, but that doesn't mean it isn't racist/transphobic/classist, and generally incredibly bigoted in how it handles things.
What bothers me about the discussions around fairness in sports, is that they all stem from similar issues, the fear of one group 'dominating' another. Which is a fair concern, but it's just executed so poorly. ...They never talk about all the cis white men who consistently do well, which likely has more to do with class/country/support level compared to other demographics, and they never talk about people like Micheal Phelps, someone practically bioengineered for his sport. Biological advantages to a ridiculous degree.
If it was really about fairness, something I would love to see, they should leave testosterone levels out of it and focus on weight classing sports exclusively. Muscles account for a really hearty chunk of our weight, most sports heavily utilize them, an you're more likely to find folks of similar stature in similar weight classes. Basing sport groups off of that instead of gender/racial prejudice would do a hell of a lot more good if the goal is to actually make sports more fair.

[Jacob]

Totally take your point Bowler! I think that was my bias was showing there!

I don't think curmudgeonly grunts from me which imply the Olympics or "Big Sport" is inherently negative are in any way objective, or at all the whole picture. Lots of big questions are probably more to do with pushing institutions to become what we hope they can be vs tearing everything down (although that can be a part of it). Like, whether fundamental essence of the games are that they are an expression of the whole world as a community marveling at the wonders of nature seen in own biology, or a moneygrubbing superiority/exploitation-fest, is probably more about what we make it... and those two versions probably coexist. I totally respect anyone fighting to make the first interpretation a reality, especially if it's used to oppose exploitation and resists being coopted as a defense against the not-so-good stuff.

Hopefully that shift towards weight classes becomes the norm in more sports; that makes a lot of sense. More mixed gender team sports would be so good to see too. Changes do happen in sport over time which are for the best, e.g. the rules of Rugby have changed in recent years making the game, hopefully, a lot kinder to the long term health of players than it used to be.

All of this said, the commentary coming from the online right is even more unhinged than it was when this thread was started... and I totally agree, some of rabid hatred they've been rallying behind has even less to do with the Olympics than the actual problems we might see in it.

[Asking Queries]

Hi Bowler and Jacob,

Bowler:
To clarify, my idea of the “purpose” of Olympics being discrimination was based on the idea of “ The purpose of a system is what it does” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpo ... at_it_does), which I felt the sentiment of was appropriate — I should have clarified what I meant by that. I agree that it isn’t an automatic negative, and with what you said about its problems. I think that what I’m unsure of is whether the Olympics can be meaningfully improved beyond its (as you said) racist, classist, transphobic, and bigoted current (and past) state.
I’ve also noticed that they don’t talk about the cis white men who do so well, presumably because their success is normal because of racist/sexist/misogynistic ideas and effects (the support you were talking about). I’m definitely curious about what the impact of nutrition is on athletic performance, but I feel that just picking a scientific paper at random would probably not be particularly useful, so I won’t give an example here. I’m curious about what you mean specifically by Michael Phelps being practically bioengineered for his sport, since I haven’t seen anything “more” significant than him being a cis white man (not that those factors aren’t significant). Admittedly, I don’t really know anything about swimming or him.
I like the idea of weight classes, and I agree that it would be better to base groups off of that instead of gender/racial prejudice.

Jacob:
I think that in the context of the seriousness of this issue and how it reflects transphobia and misogyny, queer people and allies should be able to be curmudgeonly and upset about this, and I agree that such grumblings aren’t the full picture or objective. I agree with everything else you’ve said and don’t have more to say, so I won’t say more.

Some more thoughts I’ve had about this, that aren’t responses:
Something I’ve been thinking about in terms of discussion of this topic, is that trans/intersex women winning over cis/AFAB (AFAB used here to mean not intersex, since I haven’t found a good word to say that) women seems to often be presented as proof that they have an advantage (generally presented as from testosterone), and not that they are good athletes or had a good day. To me, this feels like the most blatant example of transphobia (and discrimination against intersex people, which also I haven’t found a word for) in discussions of this, because these people literally ignoring the idea of variability in sports. So what if (as in the recent boxing example with an intersex woman) a woman with testosterone punches hard? Is she not allowed to punch hard, to be competent? Must we (women/femme people with testosterone) be weaker than cis women to compete with them? (These are rhetorical questions, which I answer with a No.)
On a side note (and something I’ve said before, but decided to repeat): it is so agonizing to see people say that a person’s gender is being questioned, when what is (at least by the trans theory I’m familiar with) is their sex/hormones — although, by the sex equals gender thinking so many people and news articles use, it isn’t inaccurate to say that gender is being questioned. Horrific, but not incorrect within their logic. At least they don’t hide it… (this is partly sarcasm, although it is in some ways helpful to have their agenda obvious).

I would try to be witty, but I’m just angry. Maybe that sentence is witty.
- AQ

[KierC]

Hi AQ,

I hope it’s ok I’m popping in here: I definitely share your anger towards the transphobia and racism that has reared its head during the Olympics and have some thoughts about it, too. Also, I’m a systems theory nerd and appreciated your POSIWID reference. I think you’re absolutely right to apply that idea here. POSIWID is meant to shift our thinking away from the intention of an event, and toward the impact of an event. I know the Olympics is intended to be a celebration of the human body and the achievements we’ve made in sports. At the same time, though, the intent means a lot less, if anything, if the impact is making athletes and spectators experience transphobia and racism. There’s definitely a counter argument there, but I care more about the expressed experience of people rather than the theoretical motivation of the Olympics, ya know?

I also agree with you on the whole fair-and-square-win=“advantage” fallacy, and how that’s a clear expression of transphobia. It makes me so angry, too, because it disregards the work and skills that these athletes build over their lifetime. The training they go through, and the success of that training, has nothing to do with what hormones they have. This is kind of a silly reference, but when I did cross-country in high school, the fastest runners weren’t the ones who were somehow *born* a certain way, like taller or with more testosterone or something — they were the runners who could push themselves while staying calm and could work through frustration and self-doubt. I guess I’m saying that when an athlete wins in the Olympics, that should have much more to do with the work they’ve done than the hormones they have.

I’m curious, how did you feel about the breakdancing? I felt like there was more variability and opportunity to show skills apart from just pure body strength, but I’m curious about your thoughts. There was certainly corruption and racism there where it’s not going to be in the next Olympics, but I also wonder if something like breakdancing could theoretically be a place to show more athleticism apart from pure physical size or strength. (I think I may also be revealing my bias against competitions of physical strength, also stemming from understanding the racist history of the Olympics.)

[Latha]

Hi AQ!

AFAB used here to mean not intersex, since I haven’t found a good word to say that.

I will also pop in to say that I have seen the words 'perisex', 'endosex', and 'dyadic' used to describe people who are not intersex.