Boro in Devon
Well-known member
Even though I am a father to a trans son, I do agree that there is something wrong about using gender reassignment to gain advantage in sport. After watching the difficulties that my son has undergone on his journey, the thought that someone using the same journey to cheat at sport is a difficult one to understand.
The debate about gender and sex is an interesting point. Sex categorises a person as male or female, however that can be a slightly grey area in a small percentage of people. Gender identity is a sliding scale between masculinity and femininity and is not necessarily defined by your genitalia. In terms of sport it is my belief that it should be defined as sex at birth, some people may miss out but everyone should be encouraged to participate at some level in sport and exercise, even if they wont progress to higher levels of sport.
My son was a great badminton player and won sports day at the javelin, however he had to compete against the girls even though he would have beaten the boys. He couldnt compete in football, rugby etc against the boys as the hormone blockers stunted his growth and he is only 5ft 6in, and as such physically was much smaller and weaker.
There are already big differences in terms of gender within each sex. If you look at female body builders they have incredible physiques. I was was once particpating in a team build with a previous employer, this needed us to clear a load of logs and carry them accross a bridge and dump them in a field. I am a big, strong but aging chap and could lift the biggest log and move it, however it took all of my effort, in contrast their was a young lady who was a regular gym goer, she could lift almost as much as myself, but carried on for hours. I was stunned by her stamina and ability to outperform me and other males. I developed a lot of respect for other peoples ability.
The debate about gender and sex is an interesting point. Sex categorises a person as male or female, however that can be a slightly grey area in a small percentage of people. Gender identity is a sliding scale between masculinity and femininity and is not necessarily defined by your genitalia. In terms of sport it is my belief that it should be defined as sex at birth, some people may miss out but everyone should be encouraged to participate at some level in sport and exercise, even if they wont progress to higher levels of sport.
My son was a great badminton player and won sports day at the javelin, however he had to compete against the girls even though he would have beaten the boys. He couldnt compete in football, rugby etc against the boys as the hormone blockers stunted his growth and he is only 5ft 6in, and as such physically was much smaller and weaker.
There are already big differences in terms of gender within each sex. If you look at female body builders they have incredible physiques. I was was once particpating in a team build with a previous employer, this needed us to clear a load of logs and carry them accross a bridge and dump them in a field. I am a big, strong but aging chap and could lift the biggest log and move it, however it took all of my effort, in contrast their was a young lady who was a regular gym goer, she could lift almost as much as myself, but carried on for hours. I was stunned by her stamina and ability to outperform me and other males. I developed a lot of respect for other peoples ability.
