Making Sense of Debate Over Transgender Athletes in Olympic Sport

Abstract

In recent years debate has intensified over the inclusion of transgender athletes in athletic competition at all levels and across sports. Debate has emphasized trade-offs between safety, fairness and inclusion. In some settings the issue moves from sport governance to political debate and even legislation. On social media, discussion is vigorous and sometimes vitriolic. The intensity of the debate and politics can make it difficult to make sense of the regulatory and policy issues at stake. This chapter focuses on Olympic sport and argues that transgender athletes represent the latest battleground over inclusion in sport, which has in the past focused variously on female, black and disabled athletes. The long arc of history in sport and in the societies that sport is a part of has generally trended towards ever-greater inclusivity, though not without overcoming significant opposition and while recognizing that full inclusion of all people in sport is far from being realized. In the context of these broad societal trends, I make a case against the exclusion of transgender women athletes from elite women's sport and for their inclusion. Experience in law, policy, regulation and science in other contexts where fairness and inclusion are in conflict provide guidance. Ultimately, I argue for a pragmatic approach to inclusion consistent with consensus science and reflective of broadly shared values in sport and society Under such an approach, sport can demonstrate to the rest of society how to successfully grapple with a challenging issue, rather than serving as a political battleground.

Citation

Pielke, R. (2022), "Making Sense of Debate Over Transgender Athletes in Olympic Sport", Greey, A.D. and Lenskyj, H.J. (Ed.) Justice for Trans Athletes (Emerald Studies in Sport and Gender), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 31-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-985-920221003