Trans student-athletes OK’d to compete on teams consistent with gender identity
A new policy allowing Canadian transgender student-athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity and without hormone therapy is a welcome change, but more can still be done to make athletics inclusive of gender diversity, says a Vancouver trans athlete and consultant.
U Sports, which governs university athletics in Canada, put its new policy into effect Thursday and says it affects student-athletes at all 56 of its member institutions. Athletes can only compete on teams of one gender during a given academic year, and the policy doesn’t require them to undertake hormone therapy. They must also comply with the Canadian AntiDoping Program.
“For me, it’s a step in the right direction,” said Kai Scott, a principal partner at Trans Focus Consulting, which works with organizations addressing gender inclusion issues.
“I think these kinds of policies are really important. This one, in particular, is great for certain transgender student-athletes in that they can select the team or division that aligns with their gender identity. These kinds of policies are important declarations of support and assurance of inclusivity.”
Scott, who was a competitive runner at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and last month competed in 10K and half-marathon events at the Gay Games in Paris, said it is important that the policy has clarity about hormone therapy because the absence of such details can make a trans athlete hesitant to come forward or avoid participating altogether.
Levels of testosterone, linked to muscle mass and increased strength, have been a key issue in debate over allowing trans athletes to compete in events consistent with their gender identity.
In 2016, the International Olympic Committee scrapped a 2003 policy requiring transgender athletes to have undergone gender reassignment surgery followed by two years of hormone therapy in order to compete. The IOC allows female-to-male transgender athletes eligible to take part in men’s competitions without restriction, while male-to-female transgender athletes have to demonstrate that their testosterone level has been below a certain threshold for at least one year before competition.
Scott said he also approves of U Sports’ allowance for transgender athletes to play in a category consistent with their sex assigned at birth.
But he is critical of the policy’s absence of language to include non-binary athletes, who don’t identify as either male or female. This is a common shortcoming of policies aimed at inclusivity, he said.
“It’s great that they have selection power, but if there is no corresponding category for them to select that is authentic to who they are, it’s really a bit of a moot point,” Scott said. “Oftentimes, they have to make tough decisions if there are only binary sports divisions — which is the majority of sports.”
This issue could be resolved by splitting divisions and teams by categories rather than only gender, such as by muscle mass, hormone level or weight class, Scott said.
Other solutions to explore could include dividing athletes into categories by their best competition times, or adding a third category to events where non-binary participants can compete, Scott added.
“We need to pilot different models and not say this is too big of an issue,” he said.
U Sports member institutions in B.C. include the University of B.C., University of Victoria, University of the Fraser Valley, Thompson Rivers University, University of Northern British Columbia, and Trinity Western University.
UBC released a statement saying it supports the policy.
“We are aware of other institutions where transgender athletes have wanted to play on the team that aligned with their gender identity, and we recognize that the situation could arise here,” said Gord Hopper, director of performance and team support for UBC Athletics.
“UBC supports inclusive and safe environments along with equal opportunities for all student-athletes.”
Several large B.C. sports organizations have in recent years adapted their own policies to include transgender athletes.
B.C. School Sports, for example, allows a student-athlete to play on a team consistent with their gender identity, but they must have an application approved to do so. The organization requires the athlete and a parent or guardian to give a written statement documenting “consistent gender identification with the opposite sex,” as well as an opinion from a professional who has experience in gender-identity health care.
The B.C. Amateur Softball Association’s policy lets players compete in categories consistent with their gender identity, regardless of where they are in the transition process, but with an exception. Male-to-female players who are past puberty and want to compete in the female category may be asked to provide a doctor’s note proving they have been undergoing testosterone suppression therapy or that their testosterone has been below a certain threshold for an amount of time.
B.C. Wheelchair Sports and Volleyball B.C. share a similar policy which requires transgender males to submit a doctor’s note showing that their gender reassignment is ongoing, and requires transgender females to submit a note showing that their reassignment has been ongoing for at least a year. A transgender athlete not undergoing hormone therapy for gender reassignment can only compete as the gender assigned to them at birth.