By The Acorn Staff | on May 12, 2023

I am writing to counter the widespread criticism of the April 28 editorial that has already occurred on social media.

In my opinion, (understandable) emotions, triggered by the inexcusable levels of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in this country, have contributed to the criticisms. But this is still no reason to ignore basic human biology.

If, as a thought experiment, womens sports were suddenly opened to men, virtually every existing womens record would soon be held by a man.

This trend would likely also be true if transgender females were allowed to compete with women, although at a much slower pace due to the smaller number of transgender athletes and the mitigating effects of testosterone suppression. But that does not make it fair, and it certainly does not create a level playing field.

A female trans athlete who has gone through puberty as a male has physical advantages, such as broader shoulders, a longer torso, bigger hands, denser muscles and greater heart and lung capacity.

These advantages persist even after testosterone levels are suppressed.

The editorial has been criticized for its cited examples of trans athletes, but there are many others. It has been criticized for the small number of trans athletes and the low overall impact they have on sports in general, but that is totally missing the point.

Trans females should have all the same societal rights as cis females, but to pretend that they did not live part of their lives as males, with the attendant hormonal advantages with respect to muscle development, is to deny reality.

Should non-binary individuals be allowed to compete in sports? Of course. Should they be allowed to compete in the same category as cis females? Some questions have no easy answers, but denying basic science serves no one.

I expect to now receive criticism for being transphobic.

Andrew GoetzeThousand Oaks

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'Basic human biology' ignored - The Acorn