The Truth About Trans Athletes in Women's Sports

The debate over transgender athletes competing in women's sports has become a major political issue in recent years. Conservative politicians and media figures have made it a key talking point, claiming that allowing trans women and girls to compete threatens the fairness and integrity of women's athletics. But what does the evidence actually show about trans participation in sports? Let's examine the facts behind this controversial topic.

The Current Landscape

As of 2025, 25 states have passed laws banning transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. At the federal level, former President Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" which threatens to withhold funding from schools that allow trans athletes to compete. The NCAA has also instituted a ban on trans athletes in women's collegiate sports.

These policies have been enacted despite there being very few known cases of transgender athletes competing, especially at youth and high school levels. For example, when Kentucky passed its ban in 2022, there was only one known trans athlete competing in the entire state - a 12-year-old student.

The arguments in favor of these bans generally focus on two main points:

1. Fairness in competition - The claim that trans women and girls have inherent physical advantages that make competition unfair.

2. Safety concerns - The idea that trans athletes pose an increased injury risk to cisgender female competitors.

Let's examine each of these arguments in detail.

The Fairness Question

Opponents of trans inclusion in women's sports often argue that those assigned male at birth have immutable physical advantages in athletics, even after transitioning. While it's true that on average, cisgender men and post-pubescent boys do have some athletic performance advantages over cisgender women, the reality is more complex when it comes to transgender athletes.

First, it's important to note that the relative size of male athletic advantage varies significantly depending on the specific sport and event. For example, in swimming the male performance advantage is about 13% in the 50m freestyle, but less than 6% in the 1500m freestyle. There is also substantial overlap in the performance ranges between men and women - it's not the case that any man will automatically outperform every woman.

More importantly, studies of cisgender athletes are not necessarily relevant when it comes to trans athletes who have medically transitioned. Gender-affirming medical treatments like hormone therapy can have significant impacts on body composition and athletic performance.

However, the research specifically on trans athletes is still quite limited. We were only able to find 12 studies that directly tested trans women's physical fitness or athletic performance. Most had very small sample sizes, with 8 studies looking at fewer than 20 participants. The largest and most comprehensive study to date followed 8 long-distance runners through their transitions. It found that after at least a year on hormone therapy, their race times were more similar to cisgender women than cisgender men.

But even the researchers behind that study acknowledge its limitations. As Dr. Joanna Harper, the lead author, explains:

"It is undoubtedly true that trans women will maintain advantages in some sports, probably not so much in endurance sports but in size and strength sports. Trans women will also have some physiological disadvantages. Our larger frames are now being powered by reduced muscle mass and reduced aerobic capacity and that can lead to disadvantages in terms of quickness, recovery, endurance - things that maybe aren't quite as obvious as being bigger and stronger."

Crucially, we have no research at all on how being transgender or undergoing gender-affirming treatment impacts athletic performance in teens and children - the very groups targeted by most of these new laws. For pre-pubescent children, subtle performance differences between boys and girls are often outweighed by factors like month of birth within a given year.

So while more research is certainly needed, the existing evidence does not support the idea that trans women and girls have overwhelming, unfair advantages in sports - especially after undergoing hormone therapy. The performance impacts of transitioning are nuanced and vary by individual and by sport.

Examining the Anecdotes

In the absence of robust scientific data, much of the debate around this issue has focused on individual anecdotes and examples that supposedly demonstrate the dominance of trans athletes. However, many of these stories lack important context or have been misrepresented.

One statistic frequently cited is that "over 600 female athletes have lost close to 900 medals to transgender opponents." This claim has been repeated by conservative media figures and even cited on the Senate floor. But when we dug into the source of this statistic, we found major issues:

• It wasn't from an official UN report as often claimed, but a submission to the UN by an individual researcher
• The data came from a website where anyone could submit instances of cisgender women losing to trans women in any competition worldwide
• It included events going back to 2001 and competitions as small as local fun runs
• Over 100 of the entries were from disc golf
• The way "denied medals" were counted was misleading - one trans woman winning first place was counted as three cisgender women being denied medals

Many of the most famous individual cases also fall apart under scrutiny:

• The lawsuit over two trans runners in Connecticut claimed they were denying scholarships to other athletes. But one of the plaintiffs actually beat one of the trans runners twice shortly after filing the suit. Most of the plaintiffs ended up getting scholarships while the trans athletes did not.

• Swimmer Lia Thomas won a single NCAA championship race, while coming in 8th and 5th in her other two events. Her winning time was 9 seconds behind Katie Ledecky's record.

• Thomas's 5th place tie with Riley Gaines in the 200 freestyle has been held up as a major controversy. But the trophies they were given were identical - Thomas simply held the 5th place trophy for photos while Gaines held 6th.

The Safety Argument

The other main argument for banning trans athletes is that they pose an increased safety risk in contact sports. While there are legitimate considerations around contact in some sports, the evidence doesn't support the idea that trans athletes are injuring opponents at higher rates.

The most prominent example cited is Payton McNabb, a high school volleyball player who suffered a concussion after being hit in the face by a spike from a trans opponent. This was undoubtedly a scary and traumatic incident. However:

• Concussions are unfortunately common in youth sports, with 1-2 million occurring each year
• Two coaches whose teams had played against the trans athlete for years spoke up to say they were happy to continue doing so
• One coach noted she'd seen cisgender girls hit the ball harder than the trans player in question

Another viral story involved a collegiate trans volleyball player whose spikes were claimed to be dangerously fast. But when ESPN analyzed video of her spikes, they found they averaged around 50 mph - fast, but nowhere near the 80 mph initially claimed in a lawsuit. The player also didn't rank in the top 150 in the NCAA in hitting percentage.

The standard can't be that no trans kid ever injures an opponent, as injuries are an inherent risk in sports. If trans athletes were causing injuries at much higher rates that would be cause for concern, but there's no evidence that's the case.

The Political Strategy

Given the weakness of the evidence behind these bans, it's worth examining where the push for them is coming from. After losing the fight over same-sex marriage, many conservative groups pivoted to focusing on transgender issues as a new wedge topic.

The president of one conservative advocacy group openly admitted: "We pivoted to the sports issue and it's been wildly successful." He explained that it got opponents of the LGBTQ movement comfortable talking about transgender issues.

This strategy has allowed some to make extreme anti-trans statements under the guise of "protecting women's sports." But the mask often slips, revealing a deeper opposition to transgender people in general. For instance, House Speaker Mike Johnson said after passing a trans sports ban: "We know from scripture and from nature that men are men and women are women and men cannot become women."

The Impacts on Trans Youth

While much of the debate has focused on high-profile cases of successful trans athletes, the reality is these bans primarily impact ordinary kids who just want to play sports with their friends. For many trans youth, sports participation is crucial for their mental health, sense of belonging, and social development.

As one trans teenager explained: "Without football, I don't quite know if I would still be here because it's given me a sense of belonging. It's taken away the spotlight on the fact that I am transgender and it's just allowed me to be a boy and it's allowed me to be a kid."

Many trans athletes, like cisgender athletes, aren't star players. They're kids of average or below average ability who simply want to be part of a team. One trans softball player described herself as "mediocre at best" and had never hit a home run. But being able to play as herself was deeply important to her sense of identity.

These bans are depriving trans youth of the well-documented physical, social, and emotional benefits of participating in school sports. They're also encouraging adults to police children's bodies and gender expression in disturbing ways. In one case, a state education board member publicly questioned a cisgender girl's gender on Facebook simply because she had short hair and played basketball.

Moving Forward

While there are legitimate discussions to be had about policies for elite and professional sports, the current push for blanket bans at all levels is not supported by evidence and is causing real harm to vulnerable kids.

A more nuanced approach is needed - one that balances fair competition with inclusion and recognizes that the needs may differ between youth recreational sports and elite competition. Sports governing bodies should work with medical experts and athletes to develop evidence-based policies appropriate for different levels of play.

Meanwhile, there are many other pressing issues in women's sports that deserve attention - from unequal funding and resources to sexual abuse by coaches. Devoting massive political energy to banning a handful of trans kids from playing sports is a misplacement of priorities.

Ultimately, we should strive to create an environment where all kids can experience the benefits of sports participation. As one teammate of a trans athlete put it: "How about fairness among humans? Because right now she's not being treated like a human... She deserves to be treated just like everybody else."

The debate over this issue is likely to continue, but it's crucial that it be grounded in facts rather than fear. Trans kids are not a threat to women's sports - they're just kids who want to play and belong, like anyone else. Finding a way to include them while addressing legitimate competitive concerns should be the goal, rather than blanket exclusion based on identity. With thoughtful, evidence-based policies, we can ensure sports remain fair while also being inclusive and enriching for all.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSS1tjoxf0