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New study and reactions focus debate on trans women in sport

cultureJun 30, 20261073,285

A new study concluded that trans women do not have an inherent athletic advantage over cisgender women, and advocates are citing that finding as they push for inclusive policies in sport. The study’s release has sharpened a wider fight over access to single-sex spaces and eligibility rules: a recent court ruling found that an NHS trust indirectly discriminated and harassed nurses by allowing Trans+ people to use single-sex facilities, and activist posts link sports bans to broader legal efforts to redefine sex in law. Online commentators responded with a mix of defense and alarm, arguing that bans on trans women in sport signal that trans women are "not really women," that such bans will harm both cis and trans women, and that attacks on trans rights amount to "an attack on all women." Several posts warned that the sports debate is being used to build legal footholds that could erase other protections for trans people. The study’s publication is likely to become a cited piece of evidence in upcoming policy debates and litigation over athlete eligibility and single-sex accommodations.

Nicole DeWitt
@catastro-v.bsky.social

i made the mistake of reading some papers on uterus transplants in trans women and wanted to beat my head into jam when every one of them cited “menstruation and pregnancy could be gender affirming” as an argument in favor of expanding access to trans women

15445d ago
Nicole DeWitt111

just shut the fuck up you idiot cissoids we deserve uterus transplants for the exact same set of reasons cis women do!! we’re the same thing, why the fuck are you making weaker arguments instead of just stating the obvious cis-identical reasons trans women have for wanting to bear our own children?

פּאָלאַ ⚢38

Yeah, that’s the attitude cis people have towards our healthcare—they see it all through the perspective of them indulging our delusions so that we feel better. Ask them to instead question their assumptions about sex and they get really angry.

Laura Foster25

"uterus transplants in trans women" Ahh, the carrot on a stick that's been dangled in front of me since the late 90s. "Four or five years from now, for sure this time." Lucy and the uterine football. How's about them treating us like women missing something, and less like us "wanting to be women"?

Nadia H. Slimeprincess20

It fucked me up to learn that we could already do uterus transplants in the 30s and we could probably be doing them right now if not for that bullshit “could be” mindset that’s embedded in every institution 🫂 🫂 🫂 hugs Nicole

Malica17

the worst part is that on the technical sides of things and the conclusion that "yeah it's doable and we have a good idea what we'd need to change" they are often quite good but they can't help themselves and have to be super transphobic every 2 sentences

Humecha 🎮🎙️9

I have simply locked it into a part of my brain that says "you were born too early for this tech, maybe next life" because whenever I think about it I get super extra disgustingly sad

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