USA Boxing to Allow Transgender-Identifying Men to Fight Against Women
USA Boxing has officially introduced a new transgender policy allowing biological males who identify as female to compete in the female category, subject to specific criteria.
According to the new guidelines, transgender-identifying biological men must have undergone “gender reassignment surgery” and are required to demonstrate that their testosterone level is below a specific threshold.
“The athlete must demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been below 5 nmol/L (nanomoles per liter of blood) for at least 48 months prior to her first competition,” the policy states, referring to biological males. “The athlete’s total testosterone level in serum must remain below 5 nmol/L throughout the period of desired eligibility to compete in the female category.”
The guidance also specifies that extended periods will be subject to confidential case-by-case evaluations to assess the adequacy of the 48-month requirement in minimizing advantages in women’s competition.
It is worth noting that USA Boxing defines the “normal” testosterone range for males as 10 nmol/L and for females as less than 3.1 nmol/L. This means that trans-identifying male boxers will still have significantly higher testosterone levels than their female counterparts they will compete against.
Notably, the policy mandates that boxers under 18 must compete based on their biological sex, irrespective of their so-called “gender identity.”
The decision to implement a policy on transgender athletes was partly motivated by the fact that USA Boxing’s International Federation (IF) has yet to outline eligibility requirements for transgender boxers.
“Since boxing’s IF has not determined transgender eligibility and boxing is considered a combat sport, USA Boxing’s overriding objective is the safety of all boxers and fair competition between all boxers,” USA Boxing’s guidance claims.
USA Boxing claims that its new transgender policy is being implemented to “provide fairness and safety for all boxers.” However, it is unclear how allowing men to physically fight women creates a fair and safe space for these athletes.
The debate over whether or not to allow male competitors into the female boxing ring should be uncontroversial — men are stronger and bigger than women, and in any other context, this same matchup would be considered assault. Wherever women have stepped into the ring with transgender-identifying athletes, there has been nothing but a long list of damage, injury, and carnage that follows.
