They are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know, and yet they just keep lying.
What does this tell us? They think they are untouchable and will never be answerable for what they are doing. It is a big gamble and I think they are gonna lose their stakes: their reputations.
Thank you Sarah for another great article. Charlie Baker needs to be held accountable for this disastrous NCAA policy. Sane people recognize that males have a sports performance advantage over females--this is why women's sports was created. Testosterone suppression does not erase the male sports performance advantage (which is present pre-puberty as well albeit not as large). We will not be silent. For any reader who would like to see world experts discuss various topics related to this please go to ICONS conference videos: https://www.iconswomen.com/2023-international-womens-sports-summit/ and join us at ICONS!
There's one minor point I think is worth raising about the the reference range for testosterone you're using, though.
You say :"USATF chose to set the testosterone threshold for trans-identified males at 10nmol/liter... That’s more than five times the testosterone level of women....which is .5nmol/liter to 2.4nmol/liter."
Actually 10 nmol/L is more than 10 times the testosterone level of most women. It's more than 14 times the median level of T found in elite female athletes and non-athletic women alike.
The reference range used by World Athletics puts the normal range of testosterone for females age 18 and up at 0.2-1.68 nmol/L.
In 2011, medical doctors working for World Athletics, WADA and a major testing lab in Europe took blood samples from all 849 elite athletes competing in women's track & field at the World Championships. Ten athletes were separated out from the rest coz they were already known to be XY DSD or were determined to be doping. Amongst the 839 others, the median T level was found to be 0.69 nmol/L. 75% had T levels under 0.96 nmol/L.
However, those generalized levels might be a tad on the high side because the 839 athletes included nine athletes whom the researchers suspected were doping or had undisclosed XY DSDs because they had T levels above 3.0 nmol/L.
WADA and other anti-doping agencies set the top end of the normal T range for female athletes at considerably lowe level than the range you use too. Documents released related to the Shelby Houlihan case show that female athletes are considered to have T levels that are abnormally high if they reach 1.7 nmol/L - that's the threshhold at which female athletes get flagged and are required to undergo further medical testing to see if they are pregnant, doping or have a health issue like PCOS, LOCAH or a tumor.
World Athletics' current rules show that athletes competing in the female category found to have a T level of 2.5 nmol/L will be flagged for further evaluation due to the high likelihood that they are XY with a male DSD like famous runners Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi, Dutee Chand and Caster Semenya.
Many medical labs that do testing of the general population say the normal range of T in women is lower than the range you use too.
For example, Quest Diagnostics, a leading patient lab service in the USA, says the normal range of T for women is 2-45 ng/dL (0.07-1.56 nmol/L). Mayo Clinic Labs say the normal range of T for women is 8-60 ng/dL (0.27-2.0 nmol/L).
At any rate, in convos about track & field, and sports generally, it seemss more apt to use the same reference ranges that sports bodies like WA and WADA use rather than the one you've cited. At the very least, instead of saying 10 nmol/L is "more than five times the testosterone level of women," it would be more accurate to say that 10 nmol/L is "more than 10 times the average T level of women," or "more than 14 times the median level of T in elite female athletes and non-athletic women alike."
Thanks for clarifying. I know there is disagreement about what is the normal T range for men and women, at different stages of life, and different populations. Also I suck at math. I'll fix it.
The main issue here is that these men are lying about being women! They are MEN competing with women under false pretenses! They are NOT women! The whole trans ideology is complete lies ! Men not only taking lucrative prizes from women, but also getting into locker rooms with women. It’s a total scandal , all cheating and lying and throwing women under the bus!
None of this makes sense because "trans" does not exist.
There are two sexes for humans, no "genders" for humans, and plenty of personalities/fashion possibilities/hobbies.
A male who "feels like" he's female is mentally ill and none of this should be affirmed, just like we don't affirm schizophrenics, anorexics, and apotemnophiliacs.
These men need to be told NO. That's the only solution that will work.
Thank you for this essay. You are correct in your analysis. As I've repeatedly written… Athletic divisions based on physical structure or physiology are not new, and they have nothing to do with gender identification, per se. These are two completely separate issues. Athletics can — and should — respect and include all varieties of people while still expecting them to compete fairly. For instance, any sport could easily designate a “Female Division” (natal females), and an “Open Women’s Division” (anyone identifying as a woman). Under these circumstances, everyone would still compete together, but winners would be designated within divisions. This is analogous to the “Novice,” “Open,” and “Masters” divisions used in weightlifting. Within a particular weight class, there could be several first-place winners (a novice, a veteran, and an older athlete). Everyone is included but competition is fair. Tennis has long solved this problem for teams by designating double versus mixed double categories.
The stubborn truth is that we’ve had a solution to this ongoing debate for decades, at least. It really has nothing to do with an athlete’s unique identity, gender or otherwise. It only has to do with the athlete’s physical attributes. Everyone should be valued, respected, and included. However, an essential tenet of athletics is fair competition. If we lose sight of that, we’ve lost the meaning of athletics.
Disagree on your suggestion if it means, as now, women are expected to share locker rooms with male onlookers (who’d be in the “open women” category you suggested), and disrobe in front of them without consent.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
They are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know, and yet they just keep lying.
What does this tell us? They think they are untouchable and will never be answerable for what they are doing. It is a big gamble and I think they are gonna lose their stakes: their reputations.
Thank you Sarah for another great article. Charlie Baker needs to be held accountable for this disastrous NCAA policy. Sane people recognize that males have a sports performance advantage over females--this is why women's sports was created. Testosterone suppression does not erase the male sports performance advantage (which is present pre-puberty as well albeit not as large). We will not be silent. For any reader who would like to see world experts discuss various topics related to this please go to ICONS conference videos: https://www.iconswomen.com/2023-international-womens-sports-summit/ and join us at ICONS!
Great job! Thank you.
There's one minor point I think is worth raising about the the reference range for testosterone you're using, though.
You say :"USATF chose to set the testosterone threshold for trans-identified males at 10nmol/liter... That’s more than five times the testosterone level of women....which is .5nmol/liter to 2.4nmol/liter."
Actually 10 nmol/L is more than 10 times the testosterone level of most women. It's more than 14 times the median level of T found in elite female athletes and non-athletic women alike.
The reference range used by World Athletics puts the normal range of testosterone for females age 18 and up at 0.2-1.68 nmol/L.
In 2011, medical doctors working for World Athletics, WADA and a major testing lab in Europe took blood samples from all 849 elite athletes competing in women's track & field at the World Championships. Ten athletes were separated out from the rest coz they were already known to be XY DSD or were determined to be doping. Amongst the 839 others, the median T level was found to be 0.69 nmol/L. 75% had T levels under 0.96 nmol/L.
However, those generalized levels might be a tad on the high side because the 839 athletes included nine athletes whom the researchers suspected were doping or had undisclosed XY DSDs because they had T levels above 3.0 nmol/L.
WADA and other anti-doping agencies set the top end of the normal T range for female athletes at considerably lowe level than the range you use too. Documents released related to the Shelby Houlihan case show that female athletes are considered to have T levels that are abnormally high if they reach 1.7 nmol/L - that's the threshhold at which female athletes get flagged and are required to undergo further medical testing to see if they are pregnant, doping or have a health issue like PCOS, LOCAH or a tumor.
World Athletics' current rules show that athletes competing in the female category found to have a T level of 2.5 nmol/L will be flagged for further evaluation due to the high likelihood that they are XY with a male DSD like famous runners Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi, Dutee Chand and Caster Semenya.
Many medical labs that do testing of the general population say the normal range of T in women is lower than the range you use too.
For example, Quest Diagnostics, a leading patient lab service in the USA, says the normal range of T for women is 2-45 ng/dL (0.07-1.56 nmol/L). Mayo Clinic Labs say the normal range of T for women is 8-60 ng/dL (0.27-2.0 nmol/L).
At any rate, in convos about track & field, and sports generally, it seemss more apt to use the same reference ranges that sports bodies like WA and WADA use rather than the one you've cited. At the very least, instead of saying 10 nmol/L is "more than five times the testosterone level of women," it would be more accurate to say that 10 nmol/L is "more than 10 times the average T level of women," or "more than 14 times the median level of T in elite female athletes and non-athletic women alike."
Thanks for clarifying. I know there is disagreement about what is the normal T range for men and women, at different stages of life, and different populations. Also I suck at math. I'll fix it.
The main issue here is that these men are lying about being women! They are MEN competing with women under false pretenses! They are NOT women! The whole trans ideology is complete lies ! Men not only taking lucrative prizes from women, but also getting into locker rooms with women. It’s a total scandal , all cheating and lying and throwing women under the bus!
None of this makes sense because "trans" does not exist.
There are two sexes for humans, no "genders" for humans, and plenty of personalities/fashion possibilities/hobbies.
A male who "feels like" he's female is mentally ill and none of this should be affirmed, just like we don't affirm schizophrenics, anorexics, and apotemnophiliacs.
These men need to be told NO. That's the only solution that will work.
Thank you for this essay. You are correct in your analysis. As I've repeatedly written… Athletic divisions based on physical structure or physiology are not new, and they have nothing to do with gender identification, per se. These are two completely separate issues. Athletics can — and should — respect and include all varieties of people while still expecting them to compete fairly. For instance, any sport could easily designate a “Female Division” (natal females), and an “Open Women’s Division” (anyone identifying as a woman). Under these circumstances, everyone would still compete together, but winners would be designated within divisions. This is analogous to the “Novice,” “Open,” and “Masters” divisions used in weightlifting. Within a particular weight class, there could be several first-place winners (a novice, a veteran, and an older athlete). Everyone is included but competition is fair. Tennis has long solved this problem for teams by designating double versus mixed double categories.
The stubborn truth is that we’ve had a solution to this ongoing debate for decades, at least. It really has nothing to do with an athlete’s unique identity, gender or otherwise. It only has to do with the athlete’s physical attributes. Everyone should be valued, respected, and included. However, an essential tenet of athletics is fair competition. If we lose sight of that, we’ve lost the meaning of athletics.
Disagree on your suggestion if it means, as now, women are expected to share locker rooms with male onlookers (who’d be in the “open women” category you suggested), and disrobe in front of them without consent.
Locker rooms are a completely different issue… I agree with you
Nothing can turn a male into a female. And males should never - at any age or level - be allowed to compete against females. This is not complicated.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
Sarah, your deep dive into the NCAA's trans inclusion policy is both enlightening and troubling. The glaring inconsistencies and the blatant disregard for women's sports equity are alarming. Your thorough analysis highlights the need for a more balanced approach that respects both fairness and inclusion. It's disheartening to see such a critical issue being handled with what appears to be a lack of genuine concern for female athletes' rights and well-being. Thank you for shedding light on this complex topic with such clarity and passion.
It’s kismet. I’m just listening to Riley Gaines on Mike Row’s podcast “The Way I Heard It”.
*Mike Rowe*