Perspectives December 2021∣Youth Hong Kong
Fair competition
the transgender issue by Tiffany Tiu
Transgender participation in sport has drawn increasing attention as more and more transgendered athletes are entering competitions. Some fear that competition may no longer be fair, particularly in women’s sports, if a former biological man competes against biological women, taking podium positions, athletic scholarships, and replacing females’ records. Others advocate inclusivity in sports and respect for all athletes irrespective of identity. Sports should be for all. There is no doubt about the importance and benefits of sports participation.1 Further, trans rights are equal to men’s and women’s rights, and none of these rights are less than human rights, including the right to participate in the cultural life of the community.2 Everyone should enjoy the opportunity to compete. That said, the controversy lies in competitive sports, where athletes train to compete against one another in a regulated environment, and where winning or losing matter greatly for careers. The debate on transgender inclusion in sports is centered particularly on transwomen (individuals who transitioned from being a male). Opponents to inclusivity frequently cite the fairness argument, which can be represented in the following premises: Premise 1: Competition should be as fair as possible. Premise 2: Biological males have an unfair physical advantage over biological females and transwomen are biological males.
Logically speaking, the conclusion that follows is that it is unfair for competitive sports to pit transwomen against ciswomen. Are the premises valid and sound? Can we avoid the conclusion? Premise 1: Competition should be as fair as possible. According to UNESCO, fairness is one of the values of sport.3 But what is fairness in this context? Some argue that no competition is fair because some people are gifted with genetic advantages. Because no competition is truly fair, fairness is arbitrary and hence does not matter. However, this argument is not constructive to the discussion and is unrealistic about how sports operate. There are reasons why competition is segregated by age, sex, abilities, and sometimes by weight. While there are inherent advantages or natural endowments that some possess, we still consider current competition to be fair. Indeed, fairness does not, and cannot mean being equal in every single aspect imaginable. It is, therefore, more constructive to ponder at what point the advantage crosses the line from inevitable and acceptable to avoidable and unacceptable. [*See editor’s note.] Unfairness is where an advantage is intolerable and sufficiently morally troublesome to warrant elimination.4 It is sensible to say that competition should not be unfair, such that athletes would consider the pursuit of winning is worthwhile, and that the pursuit is far from hopeless. This should keep the athlete motivated to dedicate time and effort to their sports despite some differences between the competitors. With this in mind, let’s evaluate premise 2.
*A cis woman is defined as an adult who was assigned female at birth and whose gender identity is female.The prefix means “on this side of” and is derived from Latin.
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