You can’t call yourself an ally and not be publicly supporting trans women in cycling right now
People "don't give a shit about equality in women's cycling until it has to do with transwomen competing." - Paige Alexandra, self acclaimed bike industry bro.
Dr. Rachel McKinnon dominated the competition at the Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester, England, this past weekend, celebrating her second consecutive world title and world record in the 200-meter match sprint. Her win reignited the debate on whether trans women should be allowed to compete in a women’s division which has outweighed the spotlight and celebration she deserves.
The responses and debate actually reminds me of the long legacy of sex discrimination in cycling and all other athletics. Myths, such as the idea that physical exertion would harm women’s reproductive systems or that women were inherently inferior athletes, were historically used to “protect” women out of participation in entire fields, including marathon racing and contact sports, despite ample evidence that girls can compete and win against boys (hello ultra distance sports). But girls — and particularly trans girls/women and girls of color/women — still face stark inequalities in opportunities, funding, and resources in sport.
"The marginalization of trans athletes is rooted in the same harmful history of gender discrimination and stereotyping that has impeded the achievement of gender equality in sports as a whole. Old stereotypes regarding athleticism, biology, and gender are being directed at transgender girls/women, who are frequently told outright that they are not girls (and conversely transgender boys are told they are not really boys). This policing of gender has been used to justify subjecting transgender athletes to numerous additional barriers to participating in sports, from onerous medical requirements to segregation in locker rooms to outright bans on their participation.
The truth is, transgender women and girls have been competing in sports at all levels for years, and there is no research supporting the claim that they maintain a competitive advantage. All athletes, cis and trans, compete with different advantages, but only some are questioned. This is particularly targeted to transgendered women and is harmful for the furture of transgender youth, who face detrimental effects on their physical and emotional wellbeing when they are pushed out of affirming spaces and communities.
Cisgender women should be concerned whenever an alleged concern for “protecting” our wellbeing is invoked to justify exclusion. We’ve seen these arguments play out with the harmful and debunked “bathroom predator” myth, where false concerns for cis girls and sexual harassment have been used to promote legislation banning transgender people from public restrooms. Most recently, we’ve seen it harnessed by legislators like those in South Dakota who have capitalized on recent transphobic comments to push for bills like SB 1225, which would have banned all trans youth from playing sports in school consistent with their gender identity.
One thing is clear: attitudes and policy which introduce anti-trans rules in cycling are not concerned with the integrity of girls/womens athletics, any more than proponents of bathroom bans are concerned about preventing gender-based violence. We must see these efforts for what they are: transphobia and misogyny cloaked as fear mongering tactics intended to push transgender and nonbinary people out of public spaces.
When misinformation about biology and gender is used to bar transgender girls and women from sports, it amounts to the same form of sex discrimination that has long been prohibited under Title IX. Sport should look for ways to support all girls/women who want to participate in athletics, rather than attempt to police gender on the basis of impermissible sex stereotypes."
- ACLU
To support Dr. Rachel McKinnon check out her resources, share her work, follow her on Instagram and buy her cute Rainbow Fox Racing hat:
https://rainbowfoxracing.bigcartel.com/
More Reading Resources
Rachel McKinnon "Including Trans Women Athletes in Sport.
Trans Inclusive Feminism For All
Cycling Champ Lays The Case For Trans Inclusion In Women's Sport
The Truth About Trans Athletes
Trans And Genderqueer Syllabus
A Feminist and Queer Syllabus for Black Liberation - included because you wouldn't have the trans rights movement without trans liberation activist Marsha P. Johnson.
Trans Cycling Athletes
Evelyn Sifton: Fighting for transgender rights in sports
Chris Mosier on Making History as First Trans Member of Team USA