NYT science reporter dives into the plight of elite athletes like Lia Thomas who have been subjected to 'chromosomal scrutiny'

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas continues to break barriers and redefine what a woman swimmer is capable of. Mainly because she’s biologically male.

Thomas recently won another race and broke another record and is the Ivy League Champion.

🥇🥈

Lia Thomas is the @IvyLeague champion in the 500 free. Her time of 4:37.32 is a new pool record.

Catherine Buroker finishes in second.#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/ki2SQdxn6Q

— Penn Swimming & Diving (@PennSwimDive) February 17, 2022

But for some reason, despite all of her achievements, Lia Thomas has been subjected to quite a bit of criticism. It seems there are people out there who have a problem with men competing against women in women’s sports. Go figure!

But as New York Times science reporter Azeen Ghorayshi points out, that sort of pushback just comes with the territory for trans women athletes. It’s part of the cross that athletes like Lia Thomas have to bear for having a Y chromosome:

https://twitter.com/azeen/status/1494026188897103883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1494378734853500934%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Faction%3Deditpost%3D2134933

Why were they winning, Azeen?

We've finally found a way to trick feminists into defending men. https://t.co/SpA2KI07RP

— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) February 17, 2022

Ha!

But seriously, though. Anatomy matters. Hormones matter. And yes, chromosomes matter.

Please explain what "chromosomal scrutiny" means. https://t.co/jDY35e0w6j

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) February 17, 2022

As Ghorayshi fairly points out, there have been cases of biological females whose bodies secrete considerably more testosterone than most women’s, or of biological females with unusual sex chromosomal abnormalities. But those cases are extremely rare and are very different from cases in which a male athlete elects to chemically transition to become a trans female.

More from Ghorayshi:

Transgender women may have a disadvantage in some sports, given their heavier musculature, said Dr. James Barrett, the director of the Adult Gender Identity Clinic in London, who is helping lead a study for the I.O.C. that looks at how much athletic ability decreases in transgender women after they start hormone therapy.

“Trans women by and large aren’t winning across the board,” he said. “It’s not obvious that there’s necessarily an advantage at all.”

Still, because of development during puberty, transgender athletes may have some lasting physical advantages in a sport like swimming, such as a taller height and larger hands and feet. Coming up with a policy for sex-segregated sports therefore requires making a choice: Either exclude these athletes, or allow them to compete with potential advantages, said Jakob Vingren, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Texas.

Note to Dr. James Barrett: it’s actually quite obvious that elite trans female athletes frequently have multiple advantages over elite biologically female athletes.

And we agree with Jakob Vindgren that sex-segregated sports require choosing between excluding trans athletes or allowing them to compete. Personally, we vote for the former.

We’re just following the science. The actual science.

WSPWG would say the dividing line for competing in the women’s sport category is MALE PUBERTY… regardless of how one identifies, was raised, chromosomes or genitals …and whether they can roll it back.
“What defines a woman” — pffft.🙄 #FairPlayForWomen https://t.co/NQwTEbdKzV

— Nancy Hogshead, JD, Oly (@Hogshead3Au) February 17, 2022

An elite athlete tends to be subjected to anatomical scrutiny when he has a penis and his competition are all biological women. https://t.co/6uBvLQEb4T

— AdamInHTownTX (Not a Biologist) (@AdamInHTownTX) February 17, 2022

Just FYI, if you’re inclined to respond directly to Ghorayshi’s tweet and article, you’re gonna have to do it via quote retweet: