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New study and reactions focus debate on trans women in sport

cultureJun 30, 20261042,814

A new study concludes that trans women do not have an inherent athletic advantage over cisgender women, a finding that advocates of inclusion have long asserted. The report's conclusion has sharpened public debate over whether to allow trans women in women’s sports, with supporters citing the study to argue against exclusionary bans and opponents continuing to press for restrictions. Voices responding to the study include calls to continue fighting for trans women and girls, warnings that bans would legally define trans women as not women, and arguments that the push to ban trans athletes is not genuinely about improving women’s sports. Several commentators said exclusionary campaigns will harm both cis and trans women and that such efforts aim to cement a legal framework denying trans people protections. Others emphasized intersectional harms, noting that trans women, especially Black and other women of color, face compounded risks from exclusion. The study and the reactions are likely to shape policy fights and legal arguments about single-sex spaces and athletic eligibility going forward.

Nicole DeWitt
@catastro-v.bsky.social

i made the mistake of reading some papers on uterus transplants in trans women and wanted to beat my head into jam when every one of them cited “menstruation and pregnancy could be gender affirming” as an argument in favor of expanding access to trans women

1447h ago
Nicole DeWitt102

just shut the fuck up you idiot cissoids we deserve uterus transplants for the exact same set of reasons cis women do!! we’re the same thing, why the fuck are you making weaker arguments instead of just stating the obvious cis-identical reasons trans women have for wanting to bear our own children?

פּאָלאַ ⚢36

Yeah, that’s the attitude cis people have towards our healthcare—they see it all through the perspective of them indulging our delusions so that we feel better. Ask them to instead question their assumptions about sex and they get really angry.

Laura Foster24

"uterus transplants in trans women" Ahh, the carrot on a stick that's been dangled in front of me since the late 90s. "Four or five years from now, for sure this time." Lucy and the uterine football. How's about them treating us like women missing something, and less like us "wanting to be women"?

Nadia H. Slimeprincess18

It fucked me up to learn that we could already do uterus transplants in the 30s and we could probably be doing them right now if not for that bullshit “could be” mindset that’s embedded in every institution 🫂 🫂 🫂 hugs Nicole

Malica15

the worst part is that on the technical sides of things and the conclusion that "yeah it's doable and we have a good idea what we'd need to change" they are often quite good but they can't help themselves and have to be super transphobic every 2 sentences

Humecha 🎮🎙️9

I have simply locked it into a part of my brain that says "you were born too early for this tech, maybe next life" because whenever I think about it I get super extra disgustingly sad

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