Is banning transgender athletes from women's swimming fair?

The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web

Lia Thomas.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

The International Swimming Federation (FINA), the world governing body of swimming, just voted to bar transgender women from competing in women's events. The "gender inclusion policy" offers the possibility of exceptions for swimmers who transitioned before age 12, but requires all other transgender women to compete in a new "open competition category." "This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It's what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair," James Pearce, who is the spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press.

Pearce said there were no transgender women currently competing internationally at the highest levels of the sport. Still, the decision addressed mounting objections sparked by the success of Lia Thomas at the college level. Thomas in March won the NCAA swimming championship in the 500-yard freestyle, becoming the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title. Thomas said recently that transgender women don't threaten women's sports, but numerous athletes praised the decision. Rugby officials promptly banned trans women from their sport, and many expect soccer and athletics to follow soon. Is this necessary to eliminate the "unfair" strength advantage FINA says transgender women who transition have over other women, or is it a step backward for transgender rights?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.