OPINION: Why men shouldn't compete in women's sports

I’m not a fan of the term “biological male.” It’s a tautology. Any male is a “biological male.” The issue, however, goes beyond semantics. Recent events have highlighted a critical concern: Should men be allowed to compete in women’s sports? And how can feminists support men beating on women for sport?

Many female athletes have expressed frustration and despair after losing to male competitors pretending to be female. Riley Gains tied for fifth place in the NCAA Division I Women’s Championships alongside a male swimmer. The judges granted the tie to the man because he’s trans. They considered that only fair. He’s disadvantaged. It’s ludicrous just to say it.

Males’ innate physical advantages — greater muscle mass, bone density, lung capacity, height, arm length, high testosterone levels — make competitions with women inherently unequal. This was evident in Paris where male violence became an Olympic sport.

Both Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting were disqualified from competing in the women’s category of the International Boxing Association after failing genetic testing in Istanbul in 2022 and again in New Delhi in 2023. The tests, requested by fighters, coaches and medical staffers out of concern for the safety of women boxers, revealed that both athletes have XY chromosomes and high-T.

The International Olympic Committee, however, accepts whatever gender is listed on a passport. IOC President Thomas Bach says we have zero scientific ways to identify a woman — other than a passport, it seems. Welcome to postmodernism, where “trust the science” quickly morphed into “we have no science.”

Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from an Olympic boxing quarterfinals with Khelif after just 46 seconds. Carini took two hits during the fight. The first punch broke the chin strap of her headgear while the second broke her nose, staining her tunic with blood. After Khelif’s hand was raised, Carini dropped to her knees in tears and told her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right!” She said she had never been punched so hard in her career.

Yu-Ting easily beat Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva in the quarterfinals. After the fight, Staneva pulled off her gloves, pointed to herself, and made a double-tap X symbol with her fingers, a reference to her female chromosomes. She also shouted “no, no” after the fight. The XX gesture was repeated by Turkey’s Esra Kahraman after she lost to Yu-Ting in the semifinals.

Khelif and Yu-Ting naturally dominated at the Olympics. Khelif took the gold in the women’s welterweight category and Yu-Ting took the gold in the women’s featherweight category.

The physical toll on female athletes in combat sports, combined with the emotional strain of competing on an uneven playing field, is both evident and concerning. I’m not a fan of women in combat sports to begin with. But when these women are forced to compete against male-bodied athletes, the risks are significant. The governing authorities have forced this upon them.

Gaines and 15 other female athletes are suing the NCAA, arguing that its policies on transgender athletes undermine the integrity of women’s sports and violate Title IX. The lawsuit highlights a growing resistance among female athletes whose voices are being ignored in favor of a politically correct agenda that compromises their safety, competitive fairness and biological reality.

Gains, Carini, Staneva and Kahraman are just a few of the female athletes who have been forced to compete against male-bodied opponents:

• A transgender MMA fighter severely injured a female opponent, causing a broken orbital bone and a concussion.
• A high school volleyball player in North Carolina suffered a severe head and neck injury after a ball was spiked by a transgender player.
• A transgender track and field athlete won the NCAA Division II women’s 400-meter hurdles.
• A transgender cyclist won the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships in the women’s sprint category.
• A transgender weightlifter competed in the women’s super-heavyweight division at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order defining a woman as someone with XX chromosomes, reaffirming the basic biological differences that have long been acknowledged in athletic competitions. The protection of women’s sports deserves continued defense, as does keeping men out of women’s restrooms, prisons and shelters.

The solution is clear: Women’s sports should be reserved for women, ensuring fairness, safety and integrity. This approach not only respects biology and common sense but also aligns with public opinion. A recent Rasmussen poll found that 72% of Americans agree that women’s sports should be protected from male-bodied competitors, underscoring the importance of maintaining a level playing field. After the 2024 Olympics, even more will recognize this necessity.

Courtney served 20 years as a nuclear engineering officer aboard submarines and 15 years as a graduate school instructor. A political independent, he spends his time chasing his eight grandchildren around Moscow.