Before I begin to deconstruct hateful and transphobic falsehoods, I must point out that the suicide attempts and success rates for trans peoples in the United States is abhorrent.
According to a 2018 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, over half of transgender male teens reported attempting suicide, and nearly 30% of transgender female teens reported the same. About 42% of non-binary youth also attempted suicide at some point in their life.
I bring this up because the discussion on the participation of transgender athletes in competitions isn’t merely about “winning or losing,” it’s about preventing death. It’s about saving the lives of our family and friends who are just different in their own special way.
I’m not just angry at the transphobic discourse permeating our social media feeds by the ignorant and uninformed, but at the massive apparatus of right-wing media fueling such hate.
The latest victim of intolerance is a transgender woman named Lia Thomas. Thomas competed as a male athlete from 2017 through 2020, her junior year. In 2019, Thomas began hormone therapy to transition to female in 2019, but because she was still competing from 2017 to 2020, she was still required to perform with male athletes while transitioning.
This month, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win the NCAA Division I national championship for any sport. It should have been a moment to celebrate, as Thomas meets the definition of a trailblazer.
Alas, the devious right-wing, filled with their purposeless hate, had to weigh in with their severe lack of scientific knowledge. The pundits and Facebook experts asserted Thomas had an unfair advantage… because “she is a man.”
Vicky Hartzler, a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri, used Thomas in a campaign ad which asserted “Women’s sports are for women.”
Sports Illustrated described Thomas as “the most controversial athlete in sports.” Truthfully, this is ridiculous when other athletes actually deserve that title; Deshaun Watson, a quarterback for the Houston Texans, faces civil suits from over 20 women for sexual harassment and assault. How is having several assault allegations less controversial than being trans?
The arguments against Thomas are missing important facts that I will lay out here in the plainest language possible: transgender women lose their competitive edge two years after hormone therapy. Thomas is approaching year three of hormone therapy, has fully transitioned and no longer has the competitive edge a “male” would have. Her only advantage is working hard enough to emerge victorious in a world marred by hate.
This argument is supported by a study published in 2020 by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which found diminishing advantages over the first two years of hormone therapy. The study’s lead author asserted in an article published by NBC News that at the Olympic level, two years is a realistic timeframe for seeing an even playing field. Again, Thomas has passed the two years of hormone therapy.
Another study conducted on military service members looked at the advantages of transgender troops in athletic tests over two years. Dr. Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, pointed out to NBC News that after two years, “[transgender women] were fairly equivalent to cisgender women.”
When you look at Thomas’ swimming results pre-and post-transition, you will discover context is everything. In the 200 prior to transition, Thomas posted a time of 1:39:31. In the 500, Thomas posted a 4:18:72. In the 1650, Thomas posted a 14:54:765.
After transition, Thomas posted a 1:41:93, 4:34:06, and 15:59:71. This reflects time losses of two seconds, 15 seconds, and 65 seconds. None of her new times are all-time records for women. In fact, Thomas has lost to cisgender women on numerous occasions, even placing last in one event. So much for a “male advantage.”
There are numerous articles, talk show hosts and social media posts crying foul about Thomas. It can be easy to have your consent manufactured against an incredibly marginalized group. When faced with new information, you should probably do the slightest bit of research.
The last thing you want to do is add to the uninformed, transphobic collective voice that is pushing transgender youth to suicide. Seriously, becoming informed and speaking from such a position can lift up transgender people. You could save a life.
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