• vortic@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    This is an honest question and not intended to be inflammatory.

    If a man goes through puberty, then undergoes gender reassignment surgery and is able to prove that their hormone levels are within the allowed ranges for four years, will their physique be comparable to that of a person who was assigned female at birth? Do they still have physical advantages gained through male puberty?

    • Match!!@pawb.social
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      11 months ago

      they’re gonna have physical strength similar to someone with their physique. hrt noticeably reduces muscle mass and many cis women (especially pro athletes) have higher testosterone levels than hrt levels aim for

    • chaogomu@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      The medical science on it says that two years of hormone therapy are enough to lose any sort of competitive advantage in trans athletes.

      Four years is overkill, and is part of why this policy is considered one of the strictest in professional sports.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      The argument that being trans gives you a competitive advantage always uses Lea Thomas as an example and always omits the fact that ciswomen swam faster than her.

      The whole thing is bullshit.

    • Telorand@reddthat.com
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      11 months ago

      Not a doctor or a trans woman, but from what I understand, you lose the physical advantages of self-produced testosterone over time.

      Additionally, it’s not as simple as “hormone levels.” Some AFAB women have higher than normal levels of testosterone, and some AMAB men have higher than normal levels of estrogen (and/or just lower testosterone levels). There will always be athletes who have biological advantages, whether that’s a bigger heart, better lungs, longer/shorter legs, better eyes, stronger bones, etc.

      We draw these boxes around perceived genders as if that’s a guarantee of fairness, but it’s not some panacea that effectively separates the able from the unable, just like gender is more than your genes.

    • AstridWipenaugh@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Who cares though? It’s time to stop segregating sports by gender. Sports are skill based, right? So let’s break them down that way. Break out divisions by skill, not by gender or physical location. If a woman can work her way to top-tier heavyweight boxing, let her do it.

      E: Damn, y’all are really afraid of getting beat by a girl!