After World Athletics' long overdue landmark decision to exclude trans women who had gone through male puberty from the female category back in March, it took exactly two days for UK Athletics to follow suit. I thought, huh, I wonder what USATF is doing with regard to their trans policy. The short answer is that they’re waiting until it somehow becomes easier to stand up for women without growing a spine.
If you go to USATF's trans inclusion policy you’ll find that it's not only out of date but vague, like the IOC's circa 2015, stating that "certain medical benchmarks be achieved before an athlete may compete as the opposite gender for medals, prize money and other benefits." It should be noted that 17 peer reviewed studies have found that this policy, that trans athletes reduce their testosterone level to 10 nmol/liter (20 times higher than the highest normal female level) for one year does not eliminate male advantage.
I reached out to USATF’s newly installed Chief Communications Officer, Aarti Parekh, who, to her credit, has been very responsive. I asked if and how USATF intended to align their trans policy with World Athletics'. This was the brilliantly crafted nothing sandwich I received in reply:
Following the recent updates from World Athletics regarding their Transgender and DSD policy, USATF is working to make the appropriate modifications to our policy language to stay in compliance with our international federation rules. USATF acknowledges and respects World Athletics’ decision on transgender participation. We recognize the complexity of this issue and the importance of balancing fair competition with inclusivity. While we strive to maintain a level playing field for all athletes, USATF remains committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages sportsmanship and respect for all.
Some red flags are that she used the "balancing fair competition with inclusivity" phrase that WA specifically rejected as inherently unfair to women, and then again stressed inclusivity in the next sentence. The reason World Athletics ruled the way they did is because they found they could no longer balance fair competition and inclusivity. Inclusivity of trans-identified males excludes women from their own category.
Another boulder of a stumbling block—if she had been talking about unfair advantage with regard to the men's category, you better believe there would be zero talk of the need for "sportsmanship." Be kind. Be a good sport, it’s only a little bit of unfairness to make trans-identified males feel good about themselves.
I asked for clarification because I wanted to know if USATF did indeed intend to exclude trans women from championship events (I gave her an out—not at the recreational level). Here was Aarti's reply (my questions in bold):
Will USATF exclude male-to-female trans athletes who have gone through male puberty from national championships, Olympic Trials, USATF prize/award places, or any other USATF races?
A: World Athletics’ ruling on transgender athlete participation in the female classification
includes all World Rankings events, which are listed in the World Athletics calendar. USATF
will comply with World Athletics’ rules as they relate to these events.
Will USATF abandon its previous testosterone suppression protocol?
A: USATF’s prior policy complied with World Athletics requirements. USATF is working on an update to our policy which we will share in due course [that was back in April], but USATF will continue to comply with World Athletics requirements.
Merely complying with World Athletics’ policies is not exactly a ringing endorsement. Brought along kicking and screaming is more like it. Notice that nowhere in her answers does she say the sentence that WA just plainly and simply (it's not complex) put out there—"the Council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female competition." USATF cannot seem to bring themselves to say the words "exclude male-to-female transgender athletes." They're holding onto inclusivity of biologically male athletes in the women's category like grim death, as if it's actually painful to let go of this experiment that has been comprehensively proven to be unfair to women. This should not be hard. World Athletics has done all the research, including, critically, asking athletes and coaches their opinion, for them.
As of May 11, USATF assured me: “We are working on this and I hope to share something with you very soon. As I know you understand, it’s a complex issue and one that we want to ensure we are providing the thought and consideration to.” They are apparently really sweating over the language, no doubt wondering if they can write a trans policy that never uses the phrase "exclude male-to-female trans athletes" nor "prioritizing the fairness and integrity of the female category." For some reason, that is a bridge too far.
Yes, it's never good to have a slow reply. It means they're still looking for exceptions to allow trans-identified males to participate as females.
I've yet also to hear any word on road races. Many races now have nonbinary category, but they should call it nonbinary/trans/noncomforming category to make it clear where trans people should register outside their sex.
"Trans-identifying females" are not a direct problem, not a problem on male sides, but if on Testosterone they can't compete as females either. Third X/Nonbinary/trans class solves the issue of a place, if male isn't expanded to "open".