Boys in Girls Sports

Boys in girls sports - there are many valid reasons to base sports eligibility on biological sex rather than self-declared gender. I fully support protecting girls' sports by ensuring biological males do not compete in female categories. Here are several key points:

1. Biological and Physiological Advantages Create Unfairness

• Retained Physical Edge: Biological males retain inherent physical advantages even after hormone therapy, including higher muscle mass, bone density, and testosterone levels. These factors contribute to superior strength, speed, and endurance, undermining fair competition.

• Muscle and Strength Differences: On average, males have 10–15% more muscle mass and 30–40% greater upper body strength than females. A 2021 review in Sports Medicine found that even after 12 months of hormone therapy, trans-identifying males still maintained a 12% advantage in running endurance and muscle mass.

• Irreversible Puberty Effects: Male puberty results in larger skeletal frames, greater lung and heart capacity, longer limbs, and higher oxygen-carrying ability. These advantages remain even after transitioning, as noted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

2. Safety Concerns

In contact and high-intensity sports such as soccer, wrestling, or rugby, the physical advantages held by biological males increase the risk of serious injury to female athletes.

3. Privacy in Locker Rooms and Changing Areas

Requiring biological females to share private facilities with biological males raises legitimate concerns about privacy and safety. These shared spaces should remain sex-segregated for the comfort and protection of girls.

4. Meritocracy Undermined

A merit-based system encourages excellence by rewarding hard work within fair and consistent rules. Allowing biological males to compete in female sports disrupts that system, replacing merit with subjective criteria. This undermines motivation, fairness, and the integrity of competition.

5. Negative Impact on Girls’ Confidence and Participation

Girls may feel discouraged or demoralized when competing against biological males, leading to reduced participation. This could reverse decades of progress in increasing female involvement in athletics.

6. Contrary to Scientific Reality

Biological sex is immutable. While feelings about gender may vary, science clearly distinguishes male from female based on chromosomes and biology. To allow individuals to self-determine sex undermines scientific truth and objectivity.

7. Erosion of Title IX Protections

Title IX was enacted in 1972 to provide equal opportunities for women in education and athletics. Permitting biological males to compete in girls’ sports weakens the protections Title IX was designed to offer and diminishes opportunities for girls to earn scholarships, awards, and team placements.

8. A Loving, Honest Approach to Gender Dysphoria

When a young person struggles with gender identity, the most compassionate response is not blind affirmation, but honest support. They deserve encouragement and guidance that helps them understand and accept themselves as they are—biologically and holistically. Truth and care should go hand-in-hand.

Conclusion

Protecting girls’ sports is not an act of exclusion—it is a commitment to fairness, safety, and truth. As a society, we must prioritize objective standards rooted in biology when it comes to competitive athletics. This is not about denying anyone’s humanity; it’s about preserving opportunities that generations of women have fought hard to secure. We owe it to our daughters, our athletes, and our future to defend those opportunities with integrity and compassion.