All-Star Transgender Athletes?

[kristenthegreat]

I don't think many of us are 'arguing' about taking hormones. If a person is doing so, then biologically they are moving in whatever gender direction that is (MTF, FTM- and have documentation about the transition, potentially an ID that says so as well). And I think, generally speaking, we are pretty much in agreement about that. I think where everyone is getting mixed up in the discussion is when they AREN'T taking hormones.

WHAT do you do when a person identifies but does NOT currently take hormones. What then?

We say one person doesn't make a team, but they certainly do HELP. That extra one-man stunt puts you into a higher range. That extra tumbling pass in the group run. That super-talented flyer. That great base who can save anything.

 

[catlady]

Num1Stunta From reading the posts, I am not feeling as though this is an acceptance issue with the posters. I do believe the Cheer world is very accepting to anyone and the reason I love it. With that said, many people have been stating "one person does not make a team", however, at Cheersport they have "So You Think You Can Tumble". Will it then be fair to have a MTF that has not undergone hormone therapy tumbling as a female? One thing bleeds into another, which is why the Sports Governing Bodies of the U.S. have been struggling with this for years for all sports. There is the morally right aspect in us that wants to say, this is a child, let them cheer as the sex they identify with. Then there is reality that says, we live within a legal system that identifies your sex at birth on a certificate and choosing to ignore it may become very costly in a lawsuit. Bekah, I love this thread, however, I would encourage anyone to consult with a lawyer first to make sure, if you are the decision maker or gym owner, you are not making yourself vunerable to a lawsuit.

 

[Aussiekat]

I'm reasonably certain (but please correct me if I am wrong) that minors are not able to undergo hormone treatment but only puberty blockers to delay the onset of definitive sex traits while young minds confirm their identity. And they most certainly can't undergo surgery. It's not like these kids wake up one day and decide it would be fun to try out being a guy or girl and doctors go along with it. With this in mind the advantage a MTF athlete could bring to an allgirl team is minimal.

 

[PghxCheer2]

From what I gathered on google, you can start taking puberty inhibitors as young as 12 and the full-on hormone therapy at 16.

And I think kristenthegreat gets what I'm saying. If you are on hormones, then by all means I think it's in your right to compete as whatever you identify yourself as whether you've legally changed it or not. But if everyone in cheer is about playing fair and not trying to get the upper leg on their biggest rivals then how do you explain the countless threads about "asterisk wins" and teams that had overage athlete(s) competing, and teams that brought in ringers, etc. I understand this is not a black and white issue, but unless you define some sort of guidelines then you are gonna get yourself into a lot of sticky and unnecessary drama-filled situations. If you lay out at least a few guidelines then you are gonna offend a lot less people in the long-run. You have to have boundaries and draw lines or the situation will turn into anarchy.

Being able to stick an extra-muscular body under one stunt that just can't seem to ever stay up will definitely help. So yes, I do think that one person can make a difference. Not a game-changing difference, but certainly a noticeable one.

And it's also irrational to act like you didn't know what I was talking about. Obviously Zac Brown isn't going to be the next superstar all-girl base. I'm talking about guys who are skinny and already have a more feminine demeanor about them.

 

[garretttt]

That's quite extreme and quite a charade to keep up. And honestly offensive. I'd love to see even one example of this happening in sports before we start banning it because someone could be an awful enough person to try and do that.

I honestly didn't mean to offend anyone, i was just throwing something out there.

 

[Ashley]

I honestly didn't mean to offend anyone, i was just throwing something out there.

Sorry, I meant that it would be offensive for a team to try and pull of a lie like that.