Although rare, there are people with genetic conditions (DSD) that make them non-binary in the truest sense of the word. For a man or woman who wants to differentiate him/herself, based on sexual preference or how they feel, and claim themselves among the actual non-binary group is truly offensive to those born with the condition. Dealing with cases like Caster Semenya isn’t straightforward and should be handled with fairness and dignity for everyone, but if a woman or man insists on a certain pronoun or claims they are a third gender, they need a reality check.
Why would a non-binary athlete compete in the category corresponding to the sex the athlete was “assigned at birth”? (I am deliberately not mentioning any current examples by name, so as to reduce risk of inflaming anyone).
Likewise, say you’re non-binary and want to run Boston. What qualifying time do you have to run? There’ve been athletes assigned male at birth, as it were, who now identify as female and thus have been given Boston entry using the women’s time (I went to college with one such athlete). But what about non-binary?
I think logically, the allowance of a non-binary athlete just continuing to run in the category of assigned at birth/biological sex actually reinforces the argument that such competition categories are best defined using biological sex.
“Assigned at birth” refers to gender identity not sex, this is coming from the pretty liberal take on gender theory. While there is argument to be made on if gender is or isn’t genetic, sex is genetic and completely objectively observable. It’s not being assigned to someone at birth, it’s being observed. You don’t assign a baby blue eyes at birth, you observe a baby with blue eyes at birth. Like I said, there’s more nuance with gender identity but not sex, which is objectively determined by chromosomes/genitalia.
In my opinion, athletes should compete with the sex they were born as, considering how much of an athletic advantage/disadvantage one would receive by switching. I think the liberal/progressive approach to LGBTQ+ and sports could change a bit, separate groups by chromosomes and think of it as something similar to weight classes instead of a gender identity thing. No one thinks it’s discriminatory to say it’s unfair for a 140 lb guy to be matched up with a 230 lb guy in a boxing/wrestling match, I think sex should be viewed the same way.
I understand that this is a harsh reality for trans/nonbinary individuals, people want to play their sport in a way they feel like their truest self, but it’s a harsh reality for most people in one form or another. At some point people get cut from their highschool team, don’t get an offer to play in college, don’t get to go pro after college etc etc. despite working just as hard as the next guy/girl. Its not fair, but that’s life and not everyone is dealt the lot where they get to be a famous pro athlete. Some athletes don’t get to compete collegiately or at the pro level because they have a condition where they need to be on heavy PEDs to keep them alive. That’s life.
Good post, this is not a complex issue except for the very rare cases where there is actual sexual ambiguity.
If we as a society are going to take transgender athletes in sports seriously, then Nikki Hiltz should not be allowed to compete in the women’s category because Nikki Hiltz is not a woman. If you’re saying Nikki Hiltz should still run with the women, it’s because you’re saying “look, we know Nikki Hiltz is actually really a woman and we’re just humoring Nikki Hiltz by referring to her as they and non-binary”.
You can’t have it both ways.
This is true. Women’s sports should be protected, but I don’t really care that Hiltz runs there as it’s not unfair.
But if we’re honest, as you stated, we all know that Hiltz is a woman.
I'm in the "college/pro sports categories should be biological, Nikki should compete with women so long as they aren't on T etc., unfortunately sports is a lightning rod for transphobes" camp, and I think the loudest and most telling silence in all of this is from many of the folks who are ok with trans women competing with females not saying a peep about intersex athletes who identify as women and are at least partially biologically female. The testosterone suppressant barriers give them a convenient excuse to not have to address the issue.