I’ll start with a few basic definitions:
Sex— biological classification based on observable traits; male or female
Gender— norms, behaviors, and roles associated with being a man, woman, or other gender identity; a social construct
Equality— treating everyone the same
Equity— treating people fairly and giving them what they need to succeed; can be different for different people but aims to give people a fair opportunity
When women were first given the opportunity to play sports, it was rightly recognized that simply giving them an equal opportunity to make the team would not result in an equitable situation. The reason for this is obvious: men and women have significantly different physical attributes. These differences are based on biological sex and not on gender. Gender really has nothing to do with it.
In order to create an equitable opportunity for women, they were given their own division of sports. Again, this was based on biological sex, not gender. By allowing people to play in the division of their chosen gender, regardless of biological sex, equity is negatively affected.
While the number of trans athletes is small and women are not facing a crisis in their opportunity to play sports, the difference in athletic ability between biological males and biological females has resulted in a situation where biological males are breaking records in women’s sports. This gets at the heart of what sports are about, which is competition. It’s easy to envision a scenario where the record books and all-star teams are made up of people who were born males, and that simply isn’t equitable for women.
Sex— biological classification based on observable traits; male or female
Gender— norms, behaviors, and roles associated with being a man, woman, or other gender identity; a social construct
Equality— treating everyone the same
Equity— treating people fairly and giving them what they need to succeed; can be different for different people but aims to give people a fair opportunity
When women were first given the opportunity to play sports, it was rightly recognized that simply giving them an equal opportunity to make the team would not result in an equitable situation. The reason for this is obvious: men and women have significantly different physical attributes. These differences are based on biological sex and not on gender. Gender really has nothing to do with it.
In order to create an equitable opportunity for women, they were given their own division of sports. Again, this was based on biological sex, not gender. By allowing people to play in the division of their chosen gender, regardless of biological sex, equity is negatively affected.
While the number of trans athletes is small and women are not facing a crisis in their opportunity to play sports, the difference in athletic ability between biological males and biological females has resulted in a situation where biological males are breaking records in women’s sports. This gets at the heart of what sports are about, which is competition. It’s easy to envision a scenario where the record books and all-star teams are made up of people who were born males, and that simply isn’t equitable for women.
