The conversation about transgender people has been ever so present in the United States in recent years, and even more so now with bills being brought to the United States House of Representatives for consideration.
Ever since 2020, many schools have implemented strict rules and regulations restricting the ability of transgender people to compete in sports according to their gender identity, according to an article on the ESPN website. In April of this year, the House Representatives approved a piece of legislation that would keep transgender women from competing in sports designated for those who are biologically women, according to an article published in the New York Times. The vote for the bill ended with a 219-203, with all Republicans voting “yes” and all the Democrats voting “no,” NBC reported. However, an administrative policy statement stated that if the bill were to hit President Joe Biden’s desk, he would veto it.
During a debate in the House about the bill, Nancy Pelosi, a democratic representative of California, stated that the bill went against the Title IX legislation by discriminating against women and girls, whether biological or not, in sports.
If the idea of allowing transgender women, who transition from men, to participate in women’s sports is considered equality, then I believe that view is skewed.
I have nothing against someone who wants to transition, anyone who identifies as a different gender, or even someone who has no gender at all. However, I also believe that men and women, at birth, are biologically different. Men have certain genetics that women do not have, and vice versa.
There is a difference in the amount and quality of muscle tissue between men and women, according to the National Library of Medicine. Biologically, men have more muscle tissue, as well as a “higher concentration of glycolytic enzymes and greater proportion of fast type muscle fibers, which may explain the disparity in strength.”
Testosterone is a hormone that gives a larger sum of lean muscle mass, according to an article published by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. It is a sex hormone that helps one grow and attain masculine features and characteristics. For example, testosterone helps with the deepening of the voice during puberty, facial hair growth, muscle size and more, according to an article published on the Harvard Health website. Men naturally produce more testosterone than women do. Women do produce testosterone; however, they produce far less. Most adult women have between 9-55 ng/dL testosterone, while men have 300-1,000 ng.dL.
There might be some women who produce more testosterone than some men. I believe, however, that because the majority of biologically born women have a lower chance of being as strong or athletic as a man, this puts them at a disadvantage while competing against men in sports.
When I was a child, I remember playing softball against boys my age, and they were always stronger and faster than me. No matter how hard I practiced, they surpassed me. I knew that it was because they were boys, but that never stopped me from trying my best.
So, although women are capable of being just as athletic as men, the research provided above shows that it is not common. Therefore, I would have to disagree with allowing transgender women to play in women’s sports, especially on a competitive team. Biologically, we are different. Perhaps having their own division and league would help and make everyone more comfortable. I want the transgender community to be comfortable and able to play sports, but I also want other women, including me, to be able to comfortably play sports in a fair system.
I believe wholeheartedly that some women can be stronger than some men, but that does not change the scientific fact that biological men are naturally built differently. I do know, however, that although men are stronger, it does not make us women weak.
