Index IntroductionTransgender Women's Athleticism in SportsInclusive Sports: Embracing Transgender AthletesResearch QuestionsLiterature Review on Transgender AthletesMethodologyKey Challenges and ConclusionsWorks CitedIntroductionTransgender Athletes Competing in Women's Sports Continue to be the Most Issue debated in the sporting world today. Some experts believe it is unfair that anyone who has gone through male puberty can compete in women's sports. On the other hand, others argue that any person who identifies as a female athlete should be able to compete in the women's division. Interestingly, a transgender woman was allowed to compete in international sports like the 2008 Beijing Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave them the green light. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay However, transgender women were expected to demonstrate compliance with the committee's requirements. First, they would have to undergo the surgery that changed their external genitalia. Provide evidence of transition hormone treatment for an appropriate period of time (Jones et al. 702). Ask the legal government authority to recognize their new sexual identification. The IOC's decision to allow transgender women to compete in women's sport has been met with mixed reactions. The LGBT community welcomed the decision while the decision angered the community at large. It is important to understand the various terms used in this study. Transgenders are individuals whose psychological gender identity has changed. For example, a male might desire to be female. This process of transitioning from male to female through surgical procedures and hormone therapy is called transgender (Gleaves et al., 312). On the other hand, transsexual is a physical body that matches psychological gender through surgery and hormones. Additionally, intersex refers to people born with hormonal problems that result in sexual and gender characteristics that are different from their natal sex. Caster Semenya, a South African professional athlete, is an excellent example of an intersex individual. The Athleticism of Transgender Women in Sports The general community stated that male-to-female transition had an unfair advantage over normal women. These groups of people believed that the future of women's sports would soon be dominated by a transgender person seeking an unfair advantage. The trans woman has more athletic components, such as strong and larger muscles than other women (Elling-Machartzki 260). This allowed them to perform better on the track as other normal women have low muscle mass and low aerobic capacity. However, some research has shown that transgender people who undergo hormone therapy are more likely to lose their athletic components. Antiandrogen agent and estrogen present in transition hormones reduce muscle mass. This is a disadvantage for transsexuals as they reach the same level as other normal women. I believe that every person, regardless of their gender identity, has the right to enjoy meaningful competition. Therefore, any person who identifies as a woman should be given the opportunity to showcase their talent without being prejudicial. Transgenders go through the entire process of making them feminine, including hormone therapy and the surgical procedure to give them feminine characteristics (Jones et al. 710). These arewomen who have been trapped in the wrong body and who must be afforded the same human rights as any other person (Travers 650). No one chose to be different; everyone wants to be normal and feel comfortable in their own skin. Denying transgender people the right to compete in women's competitions is prejudice of the highest order, which is different from sports. Sport is about inclusiveness and diversity. People watch sports because they want to see the energy, stamina and endurance of a sporty person. To some extent, transgender makes female competition more interesting. Inclusive Sports: Embracing Transgender Athletes Notably, sports is a social construction that reflects society. Transgender women competing in the women's division is a human rights issue that must not be ignored. For example, an Australian athlete named Hannah Mouncey played for the men's handball team before becoming transgender. Mouncey was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 220 pounds. After her transition, she joined the women's handball team. Despite the expected advantage over other women, she was the third top scorer in the Asian Championship held in December 2018. Her team placed fifth in the 10th team tournament (Klein et al., 557). This proves that transgender women have no advantage over other women when it comes to sporting activities. This article is intended to describe what transgender is, discuss various fair play arguments, and why transgender deserves a place in all championships. Research Questions From the above discussion, my article will explore the question of whether transgender women should be allowed to compete in women's sports? I will provide an analysis of the arguments of various scholars who support the concept of inclusiveness as well as those who are against it. Overall, my research will be organized to investigate the following. Should transgender women be allowed to compete in the women's sports division? Various competing issues have raised debate over whether transgender people should be allowed to compete in sports. These factors include the unfair advantage of trans man-to-woman over cisgender. This article will analyze all the arguments given for or against transgender people. What is the role of sports federations (IOCs) in supporting fairness, equality, inclusiveness and fairness in competitive sports? The International Olympic Committee was the first to recognize the right of transgender women to compete in women's sport. Since then, various sports federations have followed those decisions to allow trans women to compete in women's sports. This article will discuss this decision using a case study to support trans women's participation in all sporting activities. Review of Literature on Transgender AthletesMyron Genel wrote in his article titled “Transgender Athletes: How Can They Be Accommodated?” that sporting competitions have always been divided based on traditional gender identity. Additionally, some sporting activities divide participants based on weight, age, professional status, amateurism and affiliation. All this categorization is aimed at achieving fair competition (Genel 12). Genel says politicians and doctors have fought to include transgender athletes in sports competitions. Fortunately, the “Stockholm Consensus” developed and adopted by the IOC team was a groundbreaking announcement in May 2004. The IOC Executive Board called for the inclusion of all transgender individuals as long as they met the established criteria. OtherSports federations have adopted the Stockholm Consensus, such as US boxing, track and field, gymnastics and sailing. Genel took part in a meeting aimed at updating guidelines for transgender athletes in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The sports federation committee has decided to eliminate legal recognition and surgical anatomical requirements for transgenders to compete in sporting activities. They also adopted the male-female requirement to maintain serum testosterone levels of 10 nmol.L-1 for at least 12 months prior to competition (Genel 13). Additionally, female-to-male transgenders were allowed to compete without restrictions. Unfortunately, no transgender athletes participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics. This rule would later be suspended because it was deemed unfair. Andria Bianchi acknowledges the question of whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in her article titled “Something's Got to Give: Reconsidering the Justification of the Gender Gap in Sports.” Bianchi claims that transgender women are prohibited from competing in women's sports due to the idea of an unfair advantage over their cisgender (Bianchi 23). According to him, this problem is the result of the “skill thesis principle that guides sporting activities. Therefore, Bianchi proposes an overhaul of the gender binary in sport if transgender women were denied the opportunity to complete themselves in women's sport. He suggests that the federation may reconsider categorizing participants based on weight or height rather than gender. This project will remove potential discriminatory and unfair barriers, as well as keep the thesis qualified. According to the scientific newspaper, Professor Anderson (bioethicist) suggests that it is essential to consider the principle of equity and inclusion when discussing the topic of transgender participation in competitive sport. Professor Anderson, along with Otago physiologist Prof Alison Heather and DR Taryn Knox, studied the science and ethics behind the IOC's decision and published their findings entitled 'Journal of Medical Ethics'. The scientist argues that the IOC guidelines' recent requirement to allow trans women to compete in women's sport if their blood testosterone level is below 10 nmol/L. Prof. Heather believes that the requirement is higher than that found in Cis women (Anderson et al. 2). Therefore, they suggest that trans women should not be included in women's sport and propose a change in the gender division in sport. They argue that the federation needs to create a new category including trans women and intersex women to compete with each other. Testosterone levels are used to classify transgenders into their specific division. Baljinder et al. explore the concepts of equality, equity and inclusion in the participation of transgender athletes in competitive sports in this new era. The authors discussed the idea of the interrelational dynamics that exist between transgender participation in sports and medical-legal information on the role of transgender in athletics. They recognize that the inclusion of transgender athletes in sporting competitions represents a significant challenge worldwide (Singh et al. 85). The IOC's Stockholm Consensus has generated heated debate throughout the sporting world. The acceptance of sex and gender terminologies has raised various issues that need to be addressed. However, the IOC is interested in creating a global vision of fairness, mutual respect, equality and fair competition. The Guardian recently published a post titled “The transgender debate in sport needscompromises, not conflicts." The author, Joanna Harper, is a medical expert who transitioned from male to female in her twenties and believes the sports federation should respect the rights of athletes. Harper takes a middle ground on the question of whether trans women should be allowed to compete in women's sports (Harper). He provides a personal experience where he noticed his decreased athleticism after transitioning. Harper says she ran a marathon in 2:23 hours and became 12 percent slower after nine months of hormone therapy. This shows that trans women do not have an unfair advantage when competing in women's sports, as previously stated. Harper was able to publish at least eight cases of trans women running long distances and showing reduced speed and strength after transitioning. Additionally, Harper noted that a small study has been conducted on trans women in sports. Those conducted only look at trans women competing in athletics. She suggests further study of other trans women in sports. Methodology The primary research method is literature review generated from secondary data. Searching for hard copies in the library would be the ideal choice. I intend to use information written within the last five years because it captures real data and is well updated. The school database is also useful to my cause as it contains all the relevant information required for this project. The Internet is the most advanced technology that contains a huge library of information that can be retrieved at the click of a button. Additionally, school administration makes use of different types of paper materials such as newspaper articles, research journals, and journals. You can listen to or watch multimedia sources such as CDs, videos and DVDs when you get tired of reading. This document will use various case studies to solve problems and achieve its objectives. Additionally, a focus group discussion will be held to determine the level of acceptance and belief of transgenders in participating in sports activities. The focus group discussion would involve the other students and we can also include one of our teachers to help us with the group discussion. A wide series of open interviews will then continue in which athletes from our school and the area will participate. The last phase will involve analyzing the available data and making a recommendation. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Key Challenges and Conclusions The research paper by its nature faces critical challenges as students attempt to validate a knowledge claim through planning and hard work. Overall, more than 50% of students face various challenges in carrying out their research projects. The main challenges I will likely face include the inability to find updated resources in the school database, time constraints, financial instability, and lack of adequate guidance. I intend to use resources from five years ago. Our school library has not updated school books in the last ten years. This means that no update resource book would be needed for my research paper. Furthermore, the time given by my supervisor is limited because I have other classes that require my time and attention. However, I designated a specific time during the day and night for my research project. Research work requires adequate financial support to obtain relevant information and to conduct quality research. This money is sometimes not at my disposal because I have to provide for other necessary things with my own, 2018. 649-665.
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