You either didn't read, or didn't understand this paper. Methyl groups are added to DNA during DNA methylation without altering the DNA sequence so your assertion that hormone replacement alters biological sex is incorrect.
I think what most people on your side of this issue fail to understand is what the point of sport is.
What are we doing as a species pouring all this time money and energy into sports?
To be a champion at something is to be a symbol of the qualities necessary to succeed at life - in anything. If you are able to use a combination of your natural gifts, determination, and focus to become a champion, you get rewarded for it. Why? Because you did something that we all admire and seek to emulate. That’s the point! That’s why you get the trophy.
In women’s sports, they may not be as physically impressive as the men, but it’s irrelevant because the women who become the best at their discipline possess the qualities that we all admire and want to copy. They’re a symbol of something to look up to.
But if you’re just a random person who wins out of sheer biological advantage - do you deserve to be a champion? No. And this is not to be mean or callous. But that person winning those races in California is not a special person. Leah Thomas is not a special person. They are obviously human beings deserving of love and respect, but they are not champions. They have not done the work necessary to be labeled extraordinary.
I ran 1:53 for 800 in college, which is the women’s world record. If I were to compete as a woman in the Olympics and win gold, do I deserve the respect of an Olympic champion? Absolutely, unequivocally not. I am not as special as that person. I did not develop the strength of will and character that it takes to become a genuine Olympic champion, and therefore deserving of the level of respect we typically give to those people.
Another thing a lot of people seem to miss is that the men’s division isn’t “for men,” it’s just the highest level of a given sport. The boys basketball team isn’t made for biological males, it’s just the best basketball team the school can put together. The same goes for college, and the NBA. If there’s ever a biological woman truly good enough, she would instantly be allowed to play on the men’s team. Because it isn’t the “men’s team,” it’s just the top of the heap.
Women’s sports were created so biological women could experience the same benefits of sports, and so we could reward and look up to the women who become legitimate champions within that category.
You seem to think the point of sport is to be a champion, which for 99.99999% of us, that is just untrue.
It doesn't matter that you ran 1:53 and didn't win women's gold. The point is that if you lived your life as a woman and ran 1:53, then you should have had the opportunity to do that.
You are so close to understanding this with your "men's team" argument. The entire reason we invented women's sports isn't because women couldn't make the men's team. It's because the coaches/admin would not allow women to compete whether they were better than some men or not. They wouldn't even let them have their own teams separate from men on many occasions. Title IX exists for participation opportunities, not so that we can hand out more trophies.
If a transwoman runs 1:53 to win Olympic gold, it does not take away from the ciswoman who might run 1:54 for silver. Both are symbols to look up too. Both deserve respect. Leah Thomas deserves just as much respect as someone like Gretchen Walsh or Katie Ledecky.
I think I can say, in a very non-bigoted way, that Leah Thomas definitively does not deserve as much respect in her sport as Katie Ledecky. Come on how can you say that with a straight face? It’s patently not true. Leah Thomas is not a special athlete. She wasn’t a special athlete when she was competing as a man, but now suddenly she deserves to be held up as a champion? I know you know there’s something wrong with that on some level.
If a 20 year old who age cheats and wins a U-13 track championship, they do not deserve to be a champion, right? Because they aren’t special. They aren’t actually a one in a million person. Thats exactly the reason an average biological male can’t be crowned a champion.
I’m not trying to be argumentative. I’m honestly trying to understand your position. I think it’s flawed at a very basic level.
The women’s divisions were created for biological women. Not for people who felt a certain way or dressed a certain way. That is a fact. And that very act of progress is being utterly undermined.
I agree that trans women should be able to compete in sports. Just not in the biological women’s division.
I really feel like I should be able to say this without coming off right wing or bigoted. It’s really, really not that hard a concept to understand.