The end of women's sports

[Mark Rippetoe]

What is the absurdity here? This athlete was assigned female at birth and transitioned to male. You just said such athletes should continue to compete in the divisions according to the gender they were assigned at birth, which is exactly what the state is making him do, contrary to his preference.

Assigned?? By whom?

[Barry Charles]

What is the absurdity here? This athlete was assigned female at birth and transitioned to male. You just said such athletes should continue to compete in the divisions according to the gender they were assigned at birth, which is exactly what the state is making him do, contrary to his preference.

It’s all confusing for sure but, I believe, a person transitioning from female to male will be taking high doses of testosterone. If that person competes as a female, they will have a drug advantage (or fail a drug test). There are probably drug test problems in the other direction (male to female) too.

My hunch, posted earlier, is that we are more likely to see an end to drug testing in sports than will see a chromosome test implemented.

The original post talks about how the athlete elected to compete in the USPA non-tested division for this very reason. I don’t think USAPL actually banned transgender athletes but they insist on drug testing which is, more or less, the same thing.

[LudwigVan]

Assigned?? By whom?

That's semantics and tangential. My question was about the nature of Andy Baker's objection, given that the situation in the linked article seemed to align with his/your preferred outcome.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The use of testosterone is neither semantic nor tangential.

[LudwigVan]

It’s all confusing for sure but, I believe, a person transitioning from female to male will be taking high doses of testosterone.

"High doses" is incorrect. See e.g. this page on typical hormone dosing for patients undergoing gender transition. Compare to your own research on what doses are taken by athletes using AAS for competitive advantage.

[Mark Rippetoe]

This page is wrong. Nonetheless, testosterone is an illegal PED at any dosage. Are you advocating the use of an illegal PED in athletic competition?

[LudwigVan]

This page is wrong. Nonetheless, testosterone is an illegal PED at any dosage. Are you advocating the use of an illegal PED in athletic competition?

I asked a good faith question -- the bad faith responses are telling. The situation in Texas is one where a young athlete transitioned from female to male, but is being forced to compete in the female division against his wishes. This tracks with the desired outcome expressed by many members in this thread, and yet those same members are apparently able to recognize its obvious absurdity. I'm asking how they square that circle. I'll leave y'all to work it out on your own.

[Joel Chapman]

Your hunch is wrong. There was chromosome testing for over 20 years, starting with the 1968 Olympics.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I asked a good faith question -- the bad faith responses are telling. The situation in Texas is one where a young athlete transitioned from female to male, but is being forced to compete in the female division against his wishes. This tracks with the desired outcome expressed by many members in this thread, and yet those same members are apparently able to recognize its obvious absurdity. I'm asking how they square that circle. I'll leave y'all to work it out on your own.

Look, argumentative-ass, the girl is taking testosterone. If she wants to compete in the men's division, I don't have a problem with that, as the USSF rules demonstrate. But she can't take testosterone, tell everybody she's taking testosterone, and compete as anything in high school sports in Texas, you idiot. Surely you understand this, yet are signalling your amazing virtuousness for the benefit of those of us benighted fools deprived of your metropolitan perspective.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

My position is that:
(1) if you are born a male, you compete against other men. Even if you think you are now a female
(2) if you are a female, you don't get to compete against other females if you are being supplied with testosterone

I guess I'm old fashioned.