In an article published by NBCA news titled, “USA Boxing updates rulebook to include strict transgender athlete policy” states the new boxing policy published in the USA’s Boxing 2024 rulebook requires genital reassignment surgery, and at least four years of hormone therapy and quarterly testing before transgender individuals are allowed to compete.
For a male-to-female transition, the requirement is that “her total testosterone level in serum has been below 5 nmol/L for at least 48 months before her first competition,” as stated in the 2024 rulebook.
For a female-to-male transition, the athlete must demonstrate that his total testosterone level in serum has been above 1O nmol/L for at least 48 months before his first competition,” as stated in the 2024 rulebook.
The rules also require that the testosterone level stay below 5 nmol/L or above 10 nmol/L for the remainder of the athlete’s eligibility to compete. Many criticize the USA’s change for being too much or too little.
One side’s concern would be blocking trans athletes from sports, and from competing in their desired gender, and the other side is worried about letting a biological man fight a biological woman.
While requiring a sex change might be a bit much, having hormone regulations would be important in keeping a fair fight. It doesn’t matter what genitals a person has if they have an unfair advantage. If two biological women were fighting against each other, but one was doping, it would not be considered a fair fight. If a transgender woman wants to compete in their desired category, that is OK, but they should be on hormones for a couple of years prior so that their bodies can adjust.
However, hormone testing has raised many questions before. Athlete Ally, an organization committed to equal inclusivity in sports for trans, and LGBTQI, individuals published an article in 2022 where Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said, ‘“The medical requirements many trans athletes have to comply with in order to participate in sports are rarely based on any meaningful or reliable scientific data, and requiring them to submit to medical examinations to prove themselves is completely dehumanizing.’”
In the past, hormone testing has been more problematic than helpful, and sex testing stopped a lot of careers. One of these examples was a Ugandan runner, Annet Negesa, who was accused of being male, but tests later revealed she was intersex. She was told that in order to compete she would have to get surgery, and when she got the surgery the side effects changed her life and she was unable to to compete and lost her scholarship.
In order to make this work USA boxing needs to make sure that the hormone testing does not follow the past history of sex testing; hormone testing can be done with blood, urine, or saliva. No one should have to submit to something dehumanizing, as long as proper procedures are followed and the fluids are collected safely, it should be more like getting a checkup with the doctor.
It is important to distinguish where sports are trying to set up another hurdle for trans athletes to compete in their sports or trying to keep the playing field fair. With this rule implace, the closest a trans athlete will be able to compete is 2028, meaning that as of right now trans athletes are barred from the sport for the next 4 years. There should be another alternative, where if they can prove that their hormone levels have stayed within the requirement for the past four years, then they should be able to compete. Overall the USA’s boxing requirements does seem to be one of the more extreme trans policies in the sports world. However, with a sport as extreme as boxing there should be certain regulations enforced, for the safety of all athletes participating.
Molly Lu McKellar can be contacted
at mmckellar@kscequinox.com
