Trans Athletes Have No Advantage In Strategy Or Technique, Sports Exec Says

House Republicans are trying to build momentum for a stalled measure that bans transgender athletes from competing successful women’s sports. It passed nan House but hasn’t made immoderate advancement successful nan Senate. 

So, connected Tuesday, May 6, they hosted a hearing pinch Stephanie Turner and nan president of USA Fencing pursuing a now-viral incident successful which Turner took a knee, alternatively than compete against a transgender athlete.

What happened during nan hearing? 

They shared a missive they received from an Olympic fencing coach that stated transgender women person advantages complete biologic women, including assemblage size, reach, enarthrosis width, musculus development, explosive spot and betterment capacity.

Republican lawmakers cited a UN report that recovered women person been severely injured competing against transgender athletes and that testosterone suppression does not destruct competitory advantages. 

They besides pointed to a New York Times/IPSOS canvass from January that recovered 79% of Americans judge trans athletes should beryllium banned from women’s sports. 

Despite claiming that subject and nationalist sentiment backmost up their constituent of view, they utilized divisive rhetoric to picture transgender athletes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., described them arsenic “mentally sick biologic men.” 

What person Democrats said?

Democrats contend Republicans are politicizing nan issue. They pointed retired that nan proceeding was being hosted by nan Department of Government Efficiency subcommittee wrong nan House Oversight Committee, which is successful complaint of ensuring nan executive branch and national departments travel nan rule and do their duty. 

“This proceeding virtually has thing to do pinch that. In fact, it has thing to do pinch thing that falls nether nan oversight and accountability committee’s jurisdiction,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said. 

As for Turner, she said location are 200 self-declared transgender athletes wrong USA fencing and that she has agelong opposed competing against them. 

“It’s unbelievably demeaning to female fencers to put down nan differences betwixt men and women and immoderate woman’s nonaccomplishment to a man arsenic a accomplishment rumor aliases that a female simply needs to activity harder,” Turner stated.

Are mixed-gender bouts much dangerous?

The Chairman of USA Fencing said nan statement allows mixed bouts. He said gender does not supply immoderate advantage erstwhile it comes to strategy and technique, and added that different perceived inequalities are not what they appear. 

“Those bouts show that mixed gender competition, successful fencing astatine least, does not airs immoderate important information risks supra and beyond azygous gender fencing competition. The aforesaid is existent for fencing involving transgender participation,” USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt said. “Additionally, while immoderate attributes much communal successful men, specified arsenic tallness and beingness strength, tin surely confer an advantage successful a fencing bout, women much commonly grounds different advantageous traits specified arsenic elasticity and agility.”

Lehfeldt was subpoenaed to appear.

Democrats besides brought successful an lawyer from nan National Women’s Law Center, who explained trans athletes tin beryllium taxable to favoritism and request protections successful sports. 

“For example, denying trans kids nan chance to find teammates who person their backmost that’s harmful,” said Fatima Goss Graves, nan National Women’s Law Center CEO. “School officials secretly investigating girls gender to make judge that they are feminine capable to play. That is harmful and that is dangerous.” 

According to ESPN, 23 states person laws that restrict transgender athletes from competing successful sports leagues that don’t lucifer their commencement gender. There are efforts to walk akin laws successful each 50 states.