NCAA Transgender Policy “Forced Androgen Reduction” with no supporting facts, science or evidence to support their policy.
Met with great sadness and concern for athlete safety, the NCAA’s announcement of September 13th, 2011 regarding policy development around the projected assumption of “inclusionary” practices and protocol for transgendered male and female athletes in US intercollegiate and high school sport. Many academics were taken back, how a policy of such a large institution such as the NCAA could ever develop and write a policy with NO FACTS let alone NO SUPPORTING SCIENCE OR EVIDENCE. All to familiar as this is exactly what the International Olympic Committee [IOC] did in 2003 in development of the Stockholm Consensus regarding transitioned women in participation and in International and Olympic sporting events. Which misled sport, sport organizations and media around the world. Leading to projected ignorance, which has led to the most humiliating and catastrophic circumstances for so many women in international sport. Never actually testing one single transitioned high performance athlete.
This is NOT an LGB – T issue, nor is it a transgender issue, gender is everyone’s issue. The very fact the NCAA has developed and published such a policy, targeting a specific “type” of woman and or man, isolating them speaks volume how little the NCAA understands, let alone those hired to consult them.
Androgens are a hormone property of both women and men. It is not just a male hormone. Women’s ovaries are males testicles, where the majority of testosterone is developed for both (sexes). Do to the influx of the Y chromosome after 10-12 weeks of gustation, as we ALL start off as female the Y chromosome signals a rise in the production of testosterone, thus creating common male sex characteristics. Important to note, we as human-beings require testosterone as the very foundation of our bodily functions. As science illustrates, like men, high performance female athletes have elevated testosterone levels min. 4-6 times greater then non-athletic women. This is caused by years of training, as recovery signals the pituitary gland to the ovaries, to produce more androgens to assist in body recovery and muscle development. A similar response by the hypothalamus occurs signaling higher production of the natural human growth hormone [HGH] too.
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NYTimes – April 24th, 2011 – Redefining the Sexes in Unequal Terms
Author: Prof. Alice Dreger, clinical medical humanities and bioethics.
Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Go To Full Article: “Click Here”
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Most importantly and keeping this simple, the World Anti-Doping Agency[WADA] in the anti-doping testing program does NOT test for female and or male natural developing serum bio-testosterone levels and or HGH levels. All they test for is irregularities in levels, and for synthetic androgen and or HGH compounds in the blood.
WADA could NOT tell you what the serum bio-testosterone levels for women is, thus too if they could though testosterone is available in a person(s) individual body higher or lower then their competing athlete and colleagues, the androgen receptors is unique in each person, and use it more or less from one and other. A number, it they did have that measurement, it depends on the individual athletes body and how it uses it.
Like the men, we too take advantage of women’s higher then normal levels, which is part and parcel of their physiology traits together that make them exceptional.
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The NCAA Press Release States:
A trans male (female to male) student-athlete who has received a medical exception for treatment with testosterone for gender transition may compete on a men’s team but is no longer eligible to compete on a women’s team without changing the team status to a mixed team. A mixed team is eligible only for men’s championships.
A trans female (male to female) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for gender transition may continue to compete on a men’s team but may not compete on a women’s team without changing it to a mixed team status until completing one calendar year of documented testosterone-suppression treatment.
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When knowing the facts, these statements are IMPOSSIBLE and in-fact UNTRUE. Moreover, why anyone would suppress anyone’s androgen levels in the first place is ridiculous, as there are dozens of reasons why athletes male and female athletes out perform one athlete over an other. Usain Bolt, Mike Phelps and Serena Williams are great examples of this who dominate their competitors. Very little to do with androgen levels, but part of a combination excessive physiological and biological variables. Not pinning their performances to just one hormone – ANDROGENS.
Furthermore, which I(we) found interesting was that the NCAA feels androgens are the problem and determining factor of (male performance over women). Which leads to the bigger question when you suggest you want to suppress a students levels of androgens, as we explained above and is critical to this discussion, you have NO CLUE WHAT LEVEL/NUMBER YOU WOULD SUPPRESS AN ATHLETES ANDROGEN LEVELS? As well, could not give either for what purpose and or reason? Too ensure like the IOC has done, they are unable to compete in their chosen sport, let alone well and to their very best ability? Moreover, impossible to regulate such a process, of which leading international organizations such as WADA are just starting to do through the TUE and Passport system, and with the right expertise.
What the NCAA needs to understand, you are forcing a young person into “forced menopause.”
Low testosterone levels parallels symptoms that would be seen with individuals (women and men) who suffer from Hypogondism which are distinguishingly different from an normal aging adult going though gradual menopause over a 20 year period. The effects are;
- Weight Gain – Metabolism issues
- Losing Muscle – decreased endurance and becoming weak
- Fatigue – (Muscular, respiratory and psychological)
- Muscle Atrophe – Unable to develop muscle, let alone retain muscle
- Amemia – Red blood cell count decreases – less ability to carry oxygen to large muscle groups. Body actually suffocates during high performance activity
- Depression and Anxiety
- Poor Memory
*Treated through Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)
The NCAA is setting themselves up for Human Rights issues, let alone how scientifically and socially unethical this policy is. For the very purpose of sport participation, without any facts/science willing to suppress a young person(s) androgen levels into oblivion (of which you have no safe markers) to fit into a man-made system which not one person fits into, with no knowledge, and or understanding the physical and physiological impact to an individual athlete.
For reasons above is reckless and medically and socially unethical. I can give over a dozen international examples of outcomes onto women athletes causing, global humiliation, poverty and attempted suicide do to poor, misinformed and unnecessary gender policies.
Policies like gender testing (1967), the Stockholm Consensus (2003), hyperandrogenism regulations (2011) and the most recent NCAA policy are developed tools of oppression towards women specifically and not designed on fact and or science supported, but speculation and have only led to profound catastrophic circumstances for so many athletes around the world over (4) decades. Creating tools/policies to control women’s gender and athletic development and performances, where for men, there are NO MAN-MADE IMPOSED LIMITS OR BARRIERS BASED ON ONES SEX.
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN? HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE TO BE HURT OR EVEN KILLED BEFORE THIS IS STOPPED?
Getting educated and moving away from de-criminatory and exclusionary practices (which the NCAA calls inclusion) and development of such polices as recently
the NCAA has done and as many experts greatly surprised with ALL the NCAA’s resources available, once educated and understand the the truths, there
was never a need for policy, but more time spent on education and part of the greater issues of diversity of which each one of us are part of ONE TEAM.
Gender in sport is EVERYONE’S ISSUE!
Published September 2011
