by Isabella Magno

In spite of the celebration of International Pride Month to recognize the impact of the members of the LGBTQIA+ community to society, transgender athletes were prohibited from competing in international tournaments. 

The three sport governing bodies that forbade transgender athletes from participating in athletic competitions are the International Rugby League, International Swimming Federation (FINA), and Union Cycliste Internationale.

These decisions were made in response to several concerns that transgender athletes, particularly those who had a male-to-female transition, supposedly possess a performance advantage over the cisgender athletes due to the nature of their hormones and biological processes.

In line with this, in November 2021, the International Olympic Committee issued standard guidelines urging the governing bodies to present proof of competitive advantage. 

In response to this, all of the aforementioned organizations by publicly announced that their scientific panels had found that transgender women still had an edge over their cisgender rivals, even after lowering their body testosterone levels.

While the decision was seen as an effective solution to the conflict in performance advantage, some expressed their frustration over the new set of rules and guidelines.

“It’s disappointing. We’re human beings the same as everyone else. It just tells trans kids and trans adults that you’re not worthy. […] What’s the point,” Caroline Layt, a transgender woman who competed in the Women’s Rugby League in Australia told Reuters. 

With this, the governing bodies vowed to use this year’s experiences to develop a “more comprehensive” inclusion policy for future international tournaments. 

Meanwhile, FINA said they are eyeing to establish an open category where transgender women can compete.

Thumbnail from the Morning Consult by Samantha Elbouez