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This study focuses on transgender experiences in martial arts. Interviews with three Finnish and two British transgender martial artists were thematically analyzed, and findings were interpreted through the lens of queer theory. Two themes were identified related to the ways that transgender martial artists experience their sporting contexts, namely martial arts as an empowering and inclusive context and the challenges related to being transgender in martial arts. Two themes were also identified when it comes to participants' strategies for coping with cis-/heteronormativity in martial arts. Whenever possible, participants employed social change strategies, whereas other times, they drew on self-care strategies. Following this, we suggest a need for context-specific, protective policies; nonbinary means of organizing sport; and gender diversity education for instructors to better cater for the specific needs of transgender people in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2003, the International Olympic Committee issued eligibility rules for transgender people, and since then, various sporting bodies have developed their own rules. Some federations apply rules based on self-definition of sex, while others apply rules based on the sex assigned at birth or when the sex claim was made. This article deepens the debate on the inclusion of trans people in sport through the presentation of the rugby's case study, whose international federation presented, in 2020, exclusivist rules under the argument of fair competition and protection of the physical integrity of cisgender women. A critical analysis of the foundations of these rules will be presented and the consequences of similar approaches in the sports career of trans people will be discussed. Regarding methodology, a critical document analysis on the World Rugby's rules was carried out and semi-structured interviews were conducted with people related to the sports universe in Portugal. It was observed that the elaborate rules create a hierarchy between the binary sexes and between trans people themselves, focus on limited measures of comparison such as single repetition strength, and rule out factors such as increased fat mass after transition. In the absence of the possibility of pursuing a sporting career, there was a capacity for agency and engagement in other areas that allows trans people to reach other important functions within the sports universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In recent years, many US states have introduced legislation to restrict the access of transgender people to the interscholastic sport. Methods: We compiled a corpus of Twitter posts (n = 17,182) between October 2021 and March 2022 related to trans-exclusionary policies in sport. We performed a cluster analysis on these tweets to explore salient topics in the data. Machine learning algorithms were used to identify automated bots in each topic as well as to measure sentiment in each tweet. Results: Four major clusters of tweets were present in the corpus. Two were primarily driven by human-authored and focused on fairness, both supportive and exclusive of trans athletes. The others were largely driven by bot accounts and included news sharing and vitriolic media sharing. Much of the conversation was driven by automated bot accounts. Conclusions: Primary arguments surrounding trans athletes focus on fairness. However, at least on Twitter, the issue has been given outsized salience through the use of automated bot accounts. This increased issue of salience has influenced a spate of exclusionary legislation, despite the known benefits of participating in sports and physical activity. Policy Implications: Social media has the potential to influence policy-making and legislators but is increasingly polarized. With respect to trans sport, much of the conversation was driven by bot accounts, which do not reflect the true opinions of individual users. Policymakers should be cautious in the use of social media as a tool for generalizing public opinion on contentious issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgender individuals face discrimination and exclusion in various areas of society, including sports. Notably, intercollegiate athletics suffer criticism for their lack of inclusivity towards transgender athletes. Despite the increasing visibility of transgender individuals and ongoing efforts towards greater inclusivity, there is a significant lack of research on their social integration within college sports. This scoping review aimed to explore the then-current state of research on the social integration of transgender individuals in intercollegiate athletics, identify gaps in the literature, and suggest areas for further investigation. The study examined articles published between 2013 and 2023, using databases such as PubMed, ERIC, and EBSCO Essentials, as well as relevant citations from selected articles. The inclusion criteria for articles were their focus on the social integration of transgender individuals in sports events, publication in English, and relevance to the research question. A standardized technique based on the PRISMA flow diagram 2020 was used to locate, assess, and extract information from eligible research. The results of the study are expected to inform policy and strategy in transgender participation in college sports and promote greater inclusivity for transgender individuals in sports institutions and groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing global awareness and recognition of transgender rights and inclusion in various fields, including sports, it is crucial to examine what sports stakeholders think about the participation of transgender people in sports competitions, especially in the Philippines where there is a lack of studies on the topic. This motivated the researcher to conduct this study. Guided by a descriptive research design and using a quantitative-qualitative research approach, this study aims to determine the attitudes towards the participation of transgender athletes in sports, starting with randomly selected athletes from Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Data were collected through a survey and structured interviews, with questions validated by experts. Findings indicate that the future of sports in Philippine colleges is likely to be inclusive, with student-athletes having positive attitudes towards the idea of allowing trans women and trans men to compete in women's and men's sports categories, respectively, and towards the creation of separate sports categories for trans individuals only. This study can help higher education institutions develop more inclusive and respectful athletic practices that promote diversity and equal opportunity for all students who wish to participate on athletic teams and represent their colleges or universities, regardless of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter to the editor responds to a recent article that reviewed the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on physical performance, particularly in relation to transgender individuals in competitive sports. The authors of the letter raise concerns about the terminology used in the original article and argue that the adjustment of absolute measures by stature, rather than mass, is not justified. They also highlight the importance of considering absolute measures alongside relative measures, as transgender women retain significant advantages over cisgender females in terms of absolute strength and other variables. The authors criticize the conclusions of the original article for not reflecting the contents of the paper and for lacking supporting evidence. The letter is written by Christopher Kirk and Georgina K Stebbings and is funded by the IOC Medical and Scientific Research Fund. [Extracted from the article]

This paper explored how UK trans* youth experienced Physical Education (PE) during secondary school, and its impact on remaining physically active. Seven self-identified trans* people aged 14–25 took part in semi-structured interviews. Findings show participants' performances of gender were restricted by practices privileging the "natural" gender binary. Following school, medical procedures or other physical changes were desired in order to "pass" as their chosen gender before physical activity could occur. Recommendations are presented for improvements to PE policy for trans* youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of girls and women in sport at all levels depends on single sex categories for most sports from puberty onwards, because of the biological differences between the sexes. Most sport is, by definition, competitive; involving invasion games, teams, leagues, races, competitions and sometimes rankings, from foundation to excellence. Girls and women are underrepresented, particularly in traditional sport, as recognised by the UK Sports Councils and most governing bodies of sport. This paper uses feminist philosophy: Lister on androcentric citizenship, and Fraser on justice as balance, framing, recognition, representation and redistribution. It investigates the impact on the inclusion of girls and women, of eligibility policies adopting 'self-identification of gender' guidelines for the inclusion of transgender people in sport, at participation rather than elite levels. It explores fairness and equality as incorporated in law in the 2010 Equality Act in Britain, and contributes to 'equality evidence' available to the UK Sports Councils and GBS. These bodies are charged with developing fair and inclusive evidence-based eligibility criteria, in sports participation settings, for both girls and women, and transgender people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the House Bill (HB) 1084 that prohibits local school, charter schools and employees from teaching for divisive concepts and mentions teacher certification by Professional Standards Commission. Topics discussed include study of race created by structural social hierarchies by critical race theory, Executive Order 13950 signed by the U.S. President Joe Biden, and states that prohibited transgender women from women's sports competition.

This paper considers whether transgender (trans*) women should be permitted to compete in female categories in sports. Trans* women are often criticized for competing in female categories because they are seen as having an unfair advantage. Specifically, they are seen as having high levels of testosterone that unfairly enhance their performance in comparison to cisgender competitors. In this paper, I argue that trans* women should be permitted to compete in female categories. I suggest that if we want to maintain the skill thesis as a guiding principle of sports and allow trans* women to compete in female categories, then we need to take relevant genetic advantages into consideration by introducing a handicap system. I claim that a handicap system should consider both cisgender and transgender women’s effective testosterone levels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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The article focuses on bills presented throughout the U.S. during this 2021 legislative session concerning transgender people included language that would criminalize life-saving health care, prohibit transgender girls from participating on girls' sports teams. It mentions need to prohibit of LGBT issues in curriculum in public schools and refuse various services to LGBT people based on religious beliefs. It also mentions sports often show better mental health and self-esteem.

We examine the roles of gender, gender attitudes, and interest in sports on public attitudes about transgender people's participation in athletics. Using a representative survey of 1020 adults in the United States from 2015 and after controlling for a variety of demographic, political, and attitudinal factors, we find that women, consistent with their gender identity, are more supportive than men of transgender athletes participating in sports. In addition, we find that individuals who hold traditional gender role beliefs and those who have greater gender identity conformity with their gender are less likely to support transgender athletes' participation. The effects of gender identity conformity and beliefs in traditional gender roles are also conditioned by respondents' gender. Sports fans are more likely to oppose transgender athletes' participation, and female sports fans have views that resemble those of male sports fans. Finally, respondents who have contact with transgender people and those with stronger egalitarian attitudes are more favorable toward transgender participation whereas those espousing high moral traditionalism are more opposed. Our findings highlight areas of support and resistance to transgender athletes, and our work might be helpful to policymakers, as well as advocates, who promote inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we will problematize the speeches of truth that operate in modern sports institutions in the case of transgender and hyper-androgynous people. For this purpose, we will use as a source the latest resolution of the International Olympic Committee (2015) referring to these types of athletes. We are interested in investigating what is hidden about the speeches that are raised in the name of the fair competition, "fear competition". Through a discursive analysis, and through the contributions of queer theory, we will seek to analyze the truth discourses that circulate in the regulation, which bodies and subjects do you enable? Which ones are denied? In a second moment, we will focus on the effective application of the resolution in argentinean cases of hockey players who are not highly competitive, how is the operalization in the regulations of amateur sports? What negotiations and resistance are possible? Is there a violation of rights? We believe that while the resolution considered makes visible for the first time, situations of athletes who compete in high performance and break with the male / female dichotomy; It does not end up overcoming the dominant senses with which sports were built. It maintains a biomedical look to think bodies and although it explicitly recognizes the diversity of generic identities, the proposed measures are far from getting out of the binary scheme. Each recommendation suggests that athletes conform to a female or male category. If the focal point was on genitality before, it is currently focused on hormonal control, in both situations under the application of body control technologies whose purpose is to discipline it. All in all, we consider that being able to review what happens in our local contexts with the demands of dissident groups allows us to rethink our institutions and provide a critical look at the deconstruction and reconstruction of sports for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on supporting transgender athletes, through sports psychology. The author states that the dialogue related to gender identity and transgender athletes is nearly nonexistent in sports psychology. Topics discussed in this context include transgender issues in sports like transgender mythbusting, the transgender disadvantage, how sports has problematized transgender athletes, sports policies regarding transgender athletes, and practical implications for sport psychologists.

The purpose of our study was to examine prejudice toward trans individuals in sport. Questionnaire data were collected from separate, albeit demographically similar, samples of students in 2007 ( n = 199) and 2014 ( n = 124). Results indicate that trans prejudice was higher than prejudice expressed toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals and that these differences remained over time. There were no gender differences as women and men expressed the same degrees of trans prejudice. Finally, trans prejudice significantly decreased over time, although the magnitude of the change was not as large as the corresponding decrease in LGB prejudice. Study findings suggest that although prejudice against trans individuals has decreased, additional interventions and prejudice reduction efforts are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on matter of transgender inclusion of Mary Vazquez Women's Softball League (MVWSL) with its commitment to feminism and acknowledge gender identities. It mentions scholarship for guidance and found that adult recreational sport and broader scope of scholarly literature about transgender inclusion in sport. It also mentions application of laws to single-sex spaces and activities like women's sports with protection of First Amendment.

While there is a growing literature in the field of gender, sexuality and sport, there is a dearth of research into the lived experiences of transgender people in sport. The present study addresses this research gap by exploring and analysing the accounts of transgender people in relation to their experiences of sport and physical activity. These are examined within the theoretical rubrics of social exclusion and minority stress theory. The findings from in-depth interviews with 10 transgender persons are detailed. Four interconnected themes emerged from the interviewee accounts: the intimidating nature of the changing/locker room environment; the impact of alienating sports experiences at school; the fear of public space and how this drastically constrained their ability to engage in sport and physical activity; and the overall effects of being denied the social, health and wellbeing aspects of sport. The findings are discussed in relation to the distinctive quality of transgender exclusion, and the related distal and proximal stressors experienced by this particular minority group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I discuss [transgender] young men's social, physical and embodied experiences of sport. These discussions draw from interview research with two young people who prefer to self-identify as ‘male’ and not as ‘trans men’, although they do make use of this term. Finn and Ed volunteered to take part in the research following my request for volunteers at a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth group. Their narratives provide valuable testimonies on transgender and transgender and sport: more specifically, their experiences of school sport, their embodied subjectivities, transitioning and sport participation. The focus on transgender and sport also highlights the taken-for-granted assumption that a coherent LGBT collective exists and that transgender is a fixed, definable and agreed-upon category. The paper, therefore, has two aims. First, it intends to privilege and document the views of two young people who identify with a group that is often marginalised. Their narratives raise significant questions in relation to transgender and sport participation in educational and recreational settings. Second, the paper seeks to expose the methodological and ontological complexities surrounding ‘LGBT’ and ‘transgender’ and place these debates within sport and educational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the re-negotiation of sex-based boundaries within the context of transgender/transsexual inclusion in North American lesbian softball leagues. Semi-structured interviews with transgender participants combined with participant observation have been undertaken. We focus on the ‘climate’ (Hall and Sandler, 1982) for transgender participation in lesbian softball leagues that have adopted radical (non sex-binary-based) transinclusive policies. The majority of our research participants report positive experiences of inclusion and our own observations inform us that trans participation has already changed the faces of these leagues to the extent that lesbian identity is being queered: it is shifting away, at least to some degree, from assumed biological commonality to cultural affinity. Positive experiences, however, were more uniformly reported by transgender women than by transmen. A number of transmen, while reporting experiences of inclusion, expressed both personal ambivalence about participating in lesbian sporting and non-sporting spaces and a desire for fuller inclusion in the form of sensitivity and awareness concerning the use of gendered pronouns and categorical invocations. Our study documents cultural processes of sex boundary re-negotiation. As such it builds on previous scholarship (Travers, 2006) that suggests that lesbian softball leagues with non-sex-binary based transinclusive policies may offer a model for queering mainstream sporting spaces away from the socially constructed categories of the two sex system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Se presenta la reimpresión de un artículo publicado en el volumen 12, número 3 (2006) de la revista "Body & Society." El artículo enfoca en la política hacia atletas transexuales del Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI)en el contexto de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2004, en Atenas, Grecia. Las autoras consideran el denominado Consenso de Estocolmo, que refiere a la admisión de atletas transexuales en competencias deportivas de élite.

The question of if, and under what conditions transsexuals should be allowed to participate in sports in their acquired sex is becoming increasingly relevant partly because the number of transsexuals is increasing partly because many countries now provide mechanisms for achieving legal recognition as belonging to the new acquired sex. This paper develops (1) an analysis of the justification for maintaining sex segregation in some sports and (2) an account of the rights of transsexuals to be recognised in their new sex. On the basis of these two analyses it critically evaluates two set of rules for the participation of transsexuals in elite sports: the UK guidelines issued in pursuance of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the International Olympic Committee's guidelines. It is argued that these guidelines are conflicting and that a modified set of criteria is more justifiable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay argues that the most pressing issue involved in transgendered athletes' participation in elite sport is whether the athletes, who compete in the opposite gender category to which they were born, retain any physiological advantages associated with their original sex that can confer a competitive advantage in sport. The challenges to sport that transgendered participation at the elite level creates are often related to, and confused with, anti-doping issues because of fears that the transgendering process provides athletes with the same type of advantages that athletes gain from using substances and procedures banned under the World Anti-Doping Code. This essay argues that much of the controversy surrounding the participation of transgendered athletes in elite sport is centred on fair and unfair advantages over competitors, and concludes that any advantage a transgendered athlete possesses over his or her competitors differs substantially from the advantages an athlete gains from doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]