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Transgender Athletes

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Autumnleaves Aug 2019 4:42pm, 12 Aug 2019 13,905 posts	Quote Pin Autumnleaves I have read through this thread and I would thank Vixx and TR in particular for sharing what they have. It is a complex issue and one I have only hazy knowledge of, and slightly complicated feelings about. The parkrun issue could be resolved to an extent by taking out categories - they remain emphatic that it isn't a race - and by publishing times only, individuals could still see how those times translate in WAVA terms, and many, many of us are only in competition with ourselves. In the wider racing world it is more complicated. I do occasionally scoop an age category win. If I don't, I confess I rarely think about the winner - there are many LV50 runners who are a lot faster than me. I can run faster than some MV50 men I know. I think at the sharper end of race prizes it is different and I respect Jovi for her views which are strongly articulated. I do think proper and informed discussion is essential if we are going to keep competitive sport for women open and inclusive. Rules, competition frameworks and the like (including UKA) have not kept pace with science and to an extent, society.
♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Aug 2019 4:46pm, 12 Aug 2019 28,776 posts	Quote Pin ♪♫ Synge ♪♫ Mrs J - I think I unwittingly set up all this discussion when I posted on the parkrun thread on Saturday about my daughter's and my shared disappointment/surprise at seeing one of her hard-won and cherished "female record holder" mentions being lost to an athlete who is currently or very recently going through a transgender process. I am sure that this taking of the "title" was accidental rather than deliberate, but it happened. It will happen again at other parkruns and it could happen at races which are designed to be more competitive than parkrun. I have found the debate and discussion on the parkrun thread and here incredibly interesting and at times educational too. Thanks in particular to Vixx and TR who have shared personal experience about this and to all who have added thoughtful contributions. It is clear that there are no easy answers.
mascott514 Aug 2019 4:58pm, 12 Aug 2019 250 posts	Quote Pin mascott514 Sorry you are feeling bad Vixx, chin up Reading your posts really helps understand - its complicated! But, as a runner, I can chose to turn up to a run or a race and respect all athletes, and let others wrestle with the issue. We all love the same sport, so lets not forget the things that bring us together.
Fragile Do Not Bend Aug 2019 5:21pm, 12 Aug 2019 4,749 posts	Quote Pin Fragile Do Not Bend Seren makes a good point about ‘cheating’ in parkrun. There are plenty of ways to do that, if you were so inclined, that are much easier, like taking a shortcut or even emailing a team to insist a particular unknown result was you and you did have your barcode scanned.
Serendippily Aug 2019 5:36pm, 12 Aug 2019 13,603 posts	Quote Pin Serendippily Yes thank you and I’m really sorry if you ended up feeling marooned Jovi I think Chris point about sport being exclusive is right and I want the competitive end to remain so, but I want it inclusive too. Thank you all those who shared Xx
Northern Exile Aug 2019 5:57pm, 12 Aug 2019 5,310 posts	Quote Pin Northern Exile It's been interesting reading this thread and I feel like I've learned something. A lot I knew already. Having never done a parkrun and highly unlikely to ever run a road race (again), I don't feel qualified to comment .... but, I can point to a particular instance of a transgender athlete having considerable success in the fell running world and I wonder how many of you were aware of this person? Lauren Jeska (was Michael) was winning lots of races and in fact took the 2012 Female British Championship, I will leave you to imagine how controversial that was. en.wikipedia.org
DocMoye Aug 2019 6:04pm, 12 Aug 2019 29,491 posts	Quote Pin DocMoye What a awful and sad situation.
ThorntonRunner Aug 2019 6:09pm, 12 Aug 2019 2,368 posts	Quote Pin ThorntonRunner That is terrible - for all concerned. So sad.
Velociraptor Aug 2019 6:26pm, 12 Aug 2019 42,704 posts	Quote Pin Velociraptor Much more of a human-being slant on Jeska's story here. theguardian.com (I confess to wanting to know whether the blood tests confirmed that she had indeed had a gonadectomy, but that's just me being a nosy physician. It would presumably affect her historical results, though.)
Vixx Aug 2019 6:35pm, 12 Aug 2019 715 posts	Quote Pin Vixx I remember reading about Lauren Jeska at the time, but had no idea she had gone on to do what she did. How awful for all concerned