Little Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan — "Students at a small southeast Michigan college are preparing for graduation and navigating a controversy that erupted after the announcement of a high-profile commencement speaker.
Adrian College, a private liberal arts school located about an hour and a half southwest of Detroit, told the campus community in early March that the May 5 commencement address will be given by Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who is one of the most prominent voices in opposing transgender athletes competing in women's sports." (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2024/0... )
I'll admit right off the bat that I look at things from a glass half-full perspective, but...
Transgendered athletes are not a cut and dried topic to me. There is obviously an advantage physically that going through male puberty gives a person. But what do we do with trans females that want to compete? My best friend since we were four years old heads up the water skiing governing body in the US. He has been one of my biggest supporters since transitioning and he has had to personally deal with this issue himself. It is not an easy one. Do we create a new segment- 'Mens', 'Womens', 'Trans-Women'? Do we eliminate the sex divisions and just have everyone compete in one category? The answer, to me at least, is not clear.
But I do think that this dialogue is necessary for trans women in our society. If you read the comments in the above referenced article, you'll see that most are from bigots spouting all the classic slurs and trans myths...
I think that this dialogue is necessary to put the bigots and trans-phobes on display to advance our society. I'm sure the politicians will be lining up soon, but that should only make the light shine brighter. I think our Governor (who is a strong LGBTQ advocate) will stay out of the fray, but the fact that these discussions (and I'm sure the resulting protests) are taking place in a strongly trans friendly state, I hope will keep things civil.
We have long ways to go in our trans acceptance, but I firmly believe that day is coming.
Dana :DD TAF
Comments
The Facts Are Obvious
A person who has been through male puberty should NOT compete against genetic XX females full stop.
It is not so clear to me if a person who was on blockers before puberty should. I just don't know.
Not So Obvious
Michael Phelps is one of the best swimmers ever.
1.) He has double-jointed elbows that help propel him through the water.
2.) His body produces much less lactic acid than others. I ran a marathon. running a marathon is mainly about handling lactic acid. So must be swimming longer distances.
3.) His lung capacity is double that of the average person.
All other things being equal -- Michael Phelps has a huge advantage over other swimmers because of his physical advantages.
Do these advantages equal the advantages a trans swimmer might enjoy?
Probably.
Should have Michael Phelps been disqualified?
No.
Likewise, trans athletes should NOT be disqualified.
What is the point of sports? Do we swim merely to find out who is the fastest in the world?
Sports exist to help us recreate ourselves. We grow mentally and physically through sports.
This whole issue is a lie -- based on bigotry.
I understand why people buy into the nonsense, but that doesn't make it any more logic-based than any other bigoted tomfoolery.
Believing this nonsense doesn't make you a bigot. Accepting this nonsense without applying simple logic and pursuit of truth. . .does.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Caster Semenya?
She had to go all the way to the top EU court to win her case (finally! in 2023) when they tried to strip her medals away because she was accused of being transgender (I think that she was the one). Turns out she has a natural T factory in her...
I Recall Reading...
...that she had to take t-blockers and test below a certain figure in order to compete internationally after the original ruling against her. IIRC, she complied, but never approached her previous 800-meter record times while "blocked". Reportedly, she's intersex, with XY chromosomes and no uterus.
Eric
Assumptions, and we know what they do
All I've seen is people talking about statistical differences between cis men and cis women, and assuming[*] without further study that trans women must have a significant advantage. (This sounds like "trans women are really just cis men in dresses.") From what I've seen, the people making this claim don't actually have any expertise or research experience. And many of them are already openly transphobic.
So far, I haven't heard of anyone doing actual research as to what sort of superiority trans women have over cis women. It would have to be statistical, anyway, since trans women's and cis women's strength and weaknesses vary all over the map, the way cis men's and cis women's do, and, just as with the differences between cis men and cis women, the overlap between the two will almost certainly be larger than the difference of the "average."
Brynn Tannehill points out that in sports where trans women have competed along with cis women, you don't see trans women dominating the field. This suggests that maybe the differences are not as big as supposed. There's also the commonly reported loss of strength when trans women start HRT.
[*] remember what they say about "assume"?
This is a difficult topic……
Like most important decisions in our lives it will be hotly debated, and more than likely neither side will be totally happy with how it turns out. As is true with pretty much any political issue.
As a transgender woman, I will readily admit that I am not anywhere near as strong as I was just a few years ago. After ten years or so on HRT, my muscle tone has changed - especially my upper body strength. That change has of course been aided by the fact that I had cancer some three years ago, and then twelve months of immunotherapy treatments after. Add in a reaction to the treatment in the eleventh month of treatments, and the subsequent loss of weight and muscle tone from that, and you cannot compare where I was ten years ago pre HRT with where I am now.
But even ignoring the effects of the cancer and treatment, there was a definitive change in my muscle mass and strength after years of HRT.
Admittedly, the changes in skeletal structure are minor - something I would do anything to correct, I might add. Although I did lose a small amount of height (slightly less than an inch), and my hips are slightly wider than before (as is my ass - but not nearly enough!), I am still taller than the average woman at 5’10”, my shoulders are wider, my arms slightly longer, etc. I am lucky enough in that I was never some hulking linebacker - and although I was in good physical condition, I never went the route of bulking up. Rather, my training through sports and the military was aimed at stamina and strength training - not size. This served me well in that I now am a size 12, which makes me a slightly tall, average sized woman.
But to get back to the point if this discussion, my wife of nearly 40 years is nearly as strong as I am now. And she is not some hulking beast either. When we are fooling around now, it is much more difficult for me to end up on top than it used to be - so the tickler has now become the tickled quite often, lol.
Yes, for one who transitions after puberty, there will always be some mechanical advantages due to skeletal differences. But look at most of the women who play in the WNBA; should we not allow them to compete as they have an unfair advantage over the average woman? Personally, some of those women look a lot more masculine than I do!
Also, it should be noted that many of the same assholes who rant about transgender women not being allowed to compete with other women because they have advantages, those are the same assholes who insist on not allowing children or parents to have access to gender affirming care before puberty. If a child who knows they are trans is allowed to delay, or avoid, male puberty before it sets in then this would be a non-issue for them later in life after fully transitioning.
Based on my family history, I would have ended up around 5’7” and some 40 lbs or more lighter than I am. If I had been allowed puberty blockers as a child, and transitioned legally in my late teens, then I would be essentially indistinguishable from any other woman my age, and there would not be any physical advantage. You cannot have it both ways.
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
!!!~!
I won't argue. We will not agree.
not all sport is affected by this
Take Equestrian for example. It is open... as in men and women compete against each other. Trans in either direction could not gain an advantage. Personally, I think that is it long past time that we had more sport open to all no matter what gender but that would anger the snowflakes who want everyone to be a winner. I never won a thing when I played sport. Taking part was all that mattered.
But to the most vociferous opponents, only the four sports commonly played in the USA matter. (Ice Hockey, Baseball, Football and Basketball) with Soccer and Athletics trailing a long way behind.
Samantha
Thirty years ago sailing was
Thirty years ago sailing was an ungendered sport. Apparently it is now gendered.
There are many different types of boat. If some would give men a significant advantage, I would have hoped they could design a new one without that advantage.
One of my Favorite Subjects
Maybe, I'm not the Queen but I want to be so I claim I am the Queen. Sadly not too many will agree with me as they like their Queen. Bummer. I'm a woman, I demand to be in every women's category. Laughed out of the beauty contest, flushed from women's soccer as the worse player to try out, etc. I demand to be placed back in each sport and contest because I am part of the privileged class, transgender. I want to fly an F-35 or pilot a stealth bomber, drive in the Indianapolis 500 and they must let me because I am..., transgender.
Transgender doesn't mean one gets special rights over anyone else. The only thing transgender has going for me is it's been one hell of a fight all my life to fit in and still allow the girl trapped inside to live. She's free and some of the hate and bigotry directed at me when I presented as male is still there directed toward me as a female. Not my problem! It is their problem!
The last thing any transgender should be whining about is not being allowed into female sports. Isn't being yourself enough? Are we so shallow we demand special rights and privileges to prove to the rest of the world we aren't good enough as we are? Tell government, medical profession, politicians, and everyone else who thinks they know better than me what transgender is to go away or drop dead. They are nothing but bullies, power mad, arrogant asses trying to run other people's lives they know nothing about.
If you're trans and haven't pulled the trigger or took that fatal dose, you are one of the strongest persons God put on this Space Ship hurtling through the Universe. Live the blessings you were born with.
Hugs Dee
Barb
Life is a gift. What we do with that gift is up to us.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Being Transgender
Being transgender shouldn't give you special rights.
We agree on that.
However, being transgender absolutely shouldn't deny you the same rights everyone else enjoys.
All girls should be allowed to play on sports teams if they are physically capable and follow the team's rules.
It would appear the problem lies in deciding on the definition of a girl.
Whether she was mislabeled as a male at birth or not, a girl is a girl.
BarbieLee - Are you a woman?
Have you always been a woman? If not, when did you become a woman?
I know what I believe, and what I think makes me wonder how there can be any dispute on this subject.
To tell a trans-girl that she can't play because she's NOT REALLY a girl is cruel and simply wrong.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Very well made point.
No one is asking for special treatment, rather to simply be included with all women and be treated the same as them.
Several years back, in 2017, there was a teenage transgender male (FTM just to be sure we are all on the same wavelength), Mack Beggs, who was wrestling at the high school level in the state of Texas. He was very good, and actually wanted to wrestle in the boys competition - but Texas state rules required him to compete “in the league for the sex he was assigned at birth.” In other words, against girls.
Was it fair? No - absolutely not. Beggs was using over the counter dietary supplements to begin his transition, and in 2015 began taking testosterone leading to obvious physical transitions. However, even though he asked to compete against boys, the state of Texas refused to allow it as that would require the bigots to admit that Mack was male.
Mack Beggs won the girls state championship in 2017 and in 2018, defeating the same girl in the championship match both years. Was this fair to him? To the girl who lost the championship two years in a row? To any of the girls he was forced to compete against? Absolutely not.
How does forcing Mack Beggs to compete as a girl differ from allowing transgender women to compete as women?
Simple - Mack Beggs was being given testosterone for two years prior to competing, was still being given it while competing, and as such had already gone through a male puberty. But was forced to compete against girls. Yet a transgender female who has already transitioned, who’s body no longer produces testosterone, and has a body flooded with estrogen is not allowed to compete against other women.
What kind of standard are we pushing here?
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Needs to go both ways
When I say both ways I am referring to transmen on men's teams as well as transwoman on women's teams
For transmen they need to take testosterone which for a cis-male is a banned substance in most sports basically giving the transman an advantage
For example look at Lance Armstrong, if he was a transman he probably won't have been stripped of his titles
If a transwoman didn't go through male puberty I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to compete with cis-women
The other big issue with just banning trans athletes is how does it apply to cis-athletes that are on the high end such as a cis-wowan who produces excess testosterone
She can still compete on a women's team but a transwoman who produces less can't
As for sports where the gender of the athlete isn't a deciding factor I say leave them as is such as equestrian, auto racing, etc
Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong is a poor example, though, in general, I agree with your point. Lance was banned for "doping" not with testosterone, but with erythropoietin, commonly known as EPO. He had previously used corticosteroids, which, while steroids, are not closely related to testosterone and are not considered sex hormones but, rather, anti-inflammatory. Both cis- and trans- athletes would be banned for using EPO.
Thanks for clarification
See subject
Lance Armstrong
Was also using blood transfusions of his own saved blood, an almost undetectable way of cheating.
Angharad
The Kids TG Version
of the iconic "Your Dirt is in my yard, Luke" scene from Cool Hand Luke"
Stop Prepubescent and Pubescent Transgirls from receiving any medical intervention that would address the 'concerns' about physical advantages and then complain about the same kids competing when they grow too old to address the irreversible changes that prompted the non-medical decisions made to address the bogus concerns.
To put it in perspective. Conservative estimates state the following:
"New estimates show 300,000 youth ages 13-17 identify as transgender in the US."
Multiply that by .5 = 150,000 Trans girls x .30 (statistical representation of children participating in scholastic sports = 50,000 Trans girl athletes. There are simultaneously too few transgender persons to care and too many trans girl athletes to permit participation.
To contrast, "The number of girls involved in high school sports in the United is 1.68 MILLION!"
All this in fear of 0.00015015015 of the population of the United States!
"Your Transgirl athletes are on MY field, Luci!"
Love, Andrea Lena
The Point Is
That only those who have no real interest in a sport make all the noise. Ian Thorpe has size seventeen feet, which give him an obvious advantage in propelling him through the water. We should legislate a maximum foot size to stop this unfair competition. My son was/is an excellent swimmer and did very well at state level as a junior, but then all his contemporaries started growing to be over six feet tall while he only reached 5ft 8inches, so I propose a ban on all competitors taller than him. They stopped him from being an Olympic champion.
Yes, there are sports where a male puberty can give a TG girl an advantage, but there are also sports where there is no advantage, like darts, fencing (epee), chess (oops, they've decided that a male brain in a female body is an advantage), rifle and pistol shooting, etc. If the concern was genuine there are ways to deal with it, handicapping for one. Strap an extra 20 lbs to a trans athlete runner. In cycling make them ride heavier bikes. They do it for horses, don't they?
Mostly it's pure bigotry. A female sportsperson is unlikely to encounter a TG athlete in the first place and then the transgirl has to be better at the particular event to cause any problems. I would suspect that the participation of transgirls in sports is lower than statistics would show. Most would be far more concerned with the everyday difficulties of their situation.
This is an artificial storm generated in a thimble for political gain by the Nazis seeking our elimination from all walks of life.
Calling people who disagree NAZIs? I disagree...
Trans athletes is controversial, but if your XX daughter is playing high school basketball and the school they are playing field a team of XY girls, do you think that the XX girls will be safe on the same court? I don't because the hormones of an XY person is different. The muscle mass, bone density, and weight - along with height.
I'd love to see what grown ups will do about this subject. I just read an article that a Dutch women's soccer team forfeited a game when the team had 3 tran Athletes on it. I was talking to my cousin in Connecticut (taklking about UConn men's and women's basketball), and he said that if Donovan Klingan identified as a female, UConn would be undefeated. Unfortunately, any XY player will replace an XX player.
TGSine --958
If A Group Of People
Is taking away the rights of another group for no other reason than their existence then they deserve to be called Nazis. I always try to raise the consciousness of others, and especially users of this site and similar sites, to the dangers of letting the bigots gain ascendancy.
There are arguments for and against allowing MtF individuals compete in women's sports but I don't think blanket bans are the way to resolve those problems. They are unfair to the people on both the giving and receiving ends. Nobody conforms perfectly to gender norms and I believe they should not be penalized for genetic differences.
Hitler and his cronies did discriminate against those whom they defined as genetically different. They were Nazis and those who follow in his footsteps today are Nazis, but they don't want us to recognize that fact.
A different point of view
I propose a different point of view.
My question is: Why is there all this extremely vocal and almost violent backlash about trans people in sports in the first place????
Think about it for a few minutes, please.
As a discriminated minority up to the mid 1990s, the trans community has made very slow but steady progress in getting trans de-stigmatized by removing it from the list of psychiatric diseases. And gender identity slowly became recognized and accepted as a basic human right. To the point where by the early 2010s it became possible to legally transition without mayor hassles and expenses in many (though not all) jurisdictions.
Then in the early to mid 2010s there were maybe two or three professional athletes who jumped on the trans-bandwagon for increased notoriety and celebrity status that transitioned, and immediately clobbered society and the authorities left and right demanding the right to compete in the opposite category to their former competition.
With all the doping scandals that have rocked professional (and the so-called non-professionals) sports competitions since the 1980s, the governing bodies and authorities for all the different sports have become rather conservative. So naturally this public bashing and demanding would lead to a circling of the wagons and raising the drawbridges on the part of these governing bodies.
A much better, and in the long term more effective, way of gaining acceptance, would have been a relatively low key transition, and quiet advocacy with the governing bodies. Yes it takes a lot more time to get results, but those results in the end will be much more sustainable, long lasting and accessible to a lot more trans people who follow in time.
But by being impatient, sensationalistic and extremely vocal, these few athletes have undone in about five to eight years almost all the gains our predecessors have made over almost 50 years of quiet advocacy that more often than not flew beneath the radar of the more extremist sectors of society.
There is a lot of truth to the proverb: “A steady drip [of water] will hollow the stone.”
If you have a steady and constant drop of water fall on the same place on a stone, in time you will get a nice smooth hole in the stone. And on top of that nice smooth hole, you will have virtually no contamination of the surrounding environment.
If you drop the same amount of water all at once on that stone, you will get absolutely no hole in the stone and a muddy mess surrounding the stone.
You could use a extremely high pressure water jet to make a hole in the stone. But you will also get an insane amount of back-splash that contaminates a huge area surrounding the water jet target.
No No No
Victim blaming!
The average height of a premier league player is six feet. That's about two inches taller than the average man. But in the realm of professional athletes that would be quite short. Most professional players are two to three inches taller. Pro basketball players are on average seven inches taller. If you take out the keepers the average premier league player is even shorter.
Tall soccer players have big feet. At some point feet become too big for the size five ball. Think about getting the instep of a size fourteen boot on a ball.
Because short players have such an obvious advantage we should ban anyone under 5' 10" from the pitch.
Like that cheater Messi at 5' 7".
Then there are the exceptions, like Haaland, so we need to ban all premier players who are over 6'2".
Just saying!
Banning trans is bigotry! How many years ago did Hitler walk out of the Olympics because Jesse Owens, a black man, threw cold water on his Aryan bullshit!
Wake up!
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I beg to differ
The discussion is not about differences or variations in body growth or size within the same gender in team sports. But more about perception of differences after changing gender, or transitioning from one gender to the other.
Please see Alison's comment about her experience as an athlete, and how her transition affected her athletic abilities and career. She summed it up nicely writing:
Do we need to make any more enemies?
This is a controversial subject, even among ourselves. I know that the last time it was debated here several people took issue with my position, but I probably have the highest level of sports participation here, and I can say without doubt that had I tried to compete post transition I would have benefitted from my “male” puberty and be placed higher than a “born woman” for want of a better term.
I wish that I hadn’t had that that early testosterone poisoning, but then I wish for a lot of things that I cannot have. Like a uterus and ovaries. Sometimes you just have to accept reality and move on.
To be clear, I agree that no male puberty = no problem in competition. Also, sports like equestrianism are not affected by gender / hormones / type of puberty.
However, the key point is people’s perception, and – most importantly – fairness to other women. It doesn’t matter at a recreational level of sport, but as the stakes rise – world championship, Olympic medals etc – then it DOES matter, because even if there were no actual and real benefits to testosterone there would still be the perception of “unfair”. As soon as a trans athlete starts beating “real women” for something of value then we will be resented and vilified. And, again, they would have a point in most sports. If a trans woman won an Olympic medal in most sports I would not be able to defend the rules that permitted it. Female athletes were subject to sex testing at the Olympics from 1968 – 1996, it was a mouth swab so chromosome testing I would think. Frankly, I’m surprised it stopped…
If we consider ourselves women then we should defend and support women athletes and not try to take their achievements away due to the unfortunate condition of our birth.
I gave up my sport when I transitioned. I had vague thoughts of going back later, but quickly realised that it wouldn’t be fair, and that, even if there was no advantage, that I would still never be forgiven.
Most people in the civilized western world are generally accepting and supportive of us these days. Digging in and demanding this is about the fastest way of undoing that tolerance that I can think of.
Sorry if my opinion offends anyone, but this is important and I have been there, done that and I have applied those opinions to myself and paid the price of losing my sport as part of the cost of my transition. It’s not a perfect world and, as many women learn, sometimes you really can’t have it all – no matter how much you wish things were different.
We can’t simply think about what is fair to us, and should think instead about the fairness for all women.
Confirming a different point of view
Thank you Alison, for confirming what I stated in my comment above, but from the point of view of an athlete and a former sports competitor. And I believe this to be the key to it all:
Ghandi
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Whatever changes you would like to effect in our society has to begin with you.
Changing our face can change nothing. But facing our change can change everything.
I remember the first time I saw Shaquille O'Neal in person at an NCAA regional tournament. It didn't seem fair, yet I don't remember anyone wanting to ban him. Much the same can be said about Lew Alcindor (Kareem) or Wilt the Stilt. How about when Bob Hayes joined the NFL. Was that fair?
I played a lot of sports. I played against people who were bigger, stronger, and faster than me. Sometimes, I was a better player than them, and sometimes, I was not. A physical advantage is just that. It doesn't dictate the outcome.
When you balance the outcome of who wins a contest against the stigma of discriminating against a trans youth, the scales of justice should protect the self-worth of the trans youth.
The current trans laws are inspired by bigotry and are humanity at its worst.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Missing the point
This whole thing is not about ability, it is about politics. Trans hatred and division is the flavor of the year. Politicians are using us to rally the ignorant and uninformed to stand with them to win the next election. After it is over, some other minority will be the target, and it goes on forever. Here in Ohio, USA, we have hundreds of anti-trans laws proposed and several passed and now law. Many more are in the news every day. We have three trans women who they are attempting to keep off the ballot in November through various and nefarious means. Although the general public is for inclusion, those elected because of devious means, don't want to give up power, especially to trans women. In counseling we often hear, " The problem is not the problem." The stated problem is often obfuscation to cover up the real problem. Let them compete.
Larissa
Thank you, my friends
Our comments show that we can have a civil discourse over a controversial subject while remaining friends. Passions are flowing and that is a good thing. We trans women are a passionate group!
My optimistic point in posting this blog is that people are discussing why trans women should or should not be allowed to compete. The real victory in this discussion IMHO is that the discussion goes beyond the usual bigotry. We are discussing the rights of trans women, not whether trans women are real persons. Step by step, inch by inch, we will overcome! :DD TAF
DeeDee
Sigh
The crux of the issue is whether the source of any advantage due to male puberty is fair. So, who is to say the source of the superiority of a cis woman in a certain sport over other woman is any different than what a male puberty would supposedly give?
Let's say the winning cis women won due to superior lung capacity, some fluke of having wider, athletic shoulders day due to archery, went through a surge of androgen due to a temporary fluke in body chemistry leading to a higher adrenal T secretion. Or due to some prank on her body building brother's part he spiked her with oral steroids for a couple of years. Or she has naturally higher levels of T in her bod. Should she be disqualified? Who knows? I betcha the prank example would be just as rare as a transwoman who wants to compete at a very high level.
That is the crux of it, for if everybody is held to a strictly level playing field then ALL participants in a competition that is not within 1 sigma (as an arbitrary measure) of each other should not be allowed to compete.
The Olympics at one time had the sensible notion of basically what we all know: allow a 'cooling off' time to ensure hormone therapy does its inevitable job of weakening muscles, and what not, to make it fairer.
Once this cooling off period to reel in any temporary advantage is done then any argument for a male puberty as being 'unfair' is just bigotry against transwomen. At that point all women who are pooled into their weight class should perform in a statistically similar spectrum. So, if you can prove that transwomen competition yields a jarring statistical impact then there might be an issue but I don't think that will be found to be the case.
The loss of any musculature 'superiority' could not have been made more clearer for me on the day of my spouse's death when the 911 operator had told me to lift all 127 pounds of her off the bed and put her on the floor to do CPR and I was unable to even though I weigh basically the same as her.
The EMTs arrived within 15 seconds after that but were unable to revive her.
Some terror of women's sports I would be now.
Edit: Speaking of women athletes, my partner's niece is capable of finishing the NYC Marathon with the vast majority of men or women probably can't do (especially me, I can't even finish the first mile to be blunt.) She is 5'10", 5'11"" or so and has that long lean runners' body. Since she is is so tall and clearly having such high endurance she must have an above ability to convert food to energy and superior aerobic capacity because of .... something. Totally should be banned. /sarcasm.
Trans athletes... My views.
I believe that if you had puberty, you shouldn't play on a women's team. I believe that the females are being cheated and also, I just read a basketball player got seriously injured when the other team's center - an MtF player - pushed her while rebounding for the ball. The MtF player was 6'1 while the injured player was 5'8".
I know it is controversial, but I think trans who went through puberty shouldn't be on a girl's team, maybe a Trans team. I'm not sure what should be done...and I doubt it will ever be settled,
TGSine --958
6'1"
So, a 6'1" cisgendered woman who does this is okay then? Or are you saying said women would not be capable of this ? Ciswomen bully just as much and they can be just as nasty. I am sure you will find women who have been ejected from a game due to being unnecessarily rough and retaliating and such especially if they are physically bigger than other players.
Women are just as competitive as men and to paint so broad a brush over this mythical team of hulking transwomen players dominating the playing field is pure hyperbolae.
Judo and boxing are
Judo and boxing are segregated by weight.
Is that enough to nullify gender differences ? Could men, women, cis and trans all compete in the same weight category ?