The topic of trans athletes has been a controversy,  starting with the first trans athlete in 1975, Renee Richards, a promising tennis player in the men's circuit. In August 2021, a more recent event at Olympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender woman to compete in an Olympic solo event. Many controversies came from this event, and more opinions on transgender athletes were more prominent. This article will look at both perspectives on the debate about transgender women competing in women's sports. 

Supporters argue that trans women are women, and they should be allowed to compete in the sports they love. Hormone therapy erases any competitive advantages. “Twenty-four studies were identified and reviewed. Transwomen experienced significant decreases in all parameters measured, with different time courses noted. After four months of hormone therapy, transwomen have Hgb/HCT levels equivalent to those of cisgender women.” (Harper). Trans people finally feel like they have the opportunity to be part of a sport you dedicated hours of training for, only to be told you can’t participate because someone said: “it’s not fair.” Moreover, Transgender women and girls face prejudice and abuse that makes it difficult to attend school. “17% of transgender women viewed as transgender in school were bullied into dropping out. Another 6% were expelled from school.” (Yasseri). “A person’s genetic makeup and internal and external reproductive anatomy are not useful athletic performance indicators.” (Yasseri). Furthermore, claims that trans participation will lead to the death of women's sports are alarmist and unfounded. Physiological differences between athletes are a reality in every sport. 

Opposers argue that allowing transgender girls to compete in sports is particularly unfair because it denies cisgender girls the chance to achieve hard-earned rewards. despite the ability to transition, transgender women will never understand what it means to be a biological woman. “If you go through puberty, you have all of the benefits of having a male body. Even if you transition and reduce your testosterone, you’ll still have those benefits. The bone structure, slightly bigger hearts, red blood cells, and smaller pelvis – sitting on a cycle makes quite a big difference. Therefore, for a female athlete competing with a transgender female is always at a disadvantage.” (MacKenzie). People born male develop specific physical attributes that give them an edge in sports over people born female. Testosterone affects the body permanently during puberty, increasing height and augmenting the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, making male bones denser and organs (including heart and lungs) more prominent than those of females. 

In conclusion, I understand both sides of the argument. The pro side believes that transgender athletes should compete in women’s sports because hormone therapy erases any advantages, and adding trans women would allow more inclusivity in athletics. On the other side, the con side disagrees and believes that trans athletes should not compete because, as much as hormones might remove some advantages, they think it is unsafe for cisgender women to compete against trans women.  Hearing all of this, I can conclude that transgender women competing in women's sports are a conflict that is yet to be resolved. I hope this problem will get fixed because many people seem to be impacted by it.  Soon a decision will have to be made, whether people like it or not; that's just how the world works.