Girl-to-Boy Transgender Wins Girl's Wrestling Championship, While Taking Testosterone

In fairness, the transgender "boy" had wanted to wrestle against actual boys, and, I think, maybe should have been allowed to do so: The strict sexual division between boys' and girls' (or mens' and women's) sports is to protect a niche for girls/women; after all. A man competing in girl's softball would likely dominate the game, whereas a girl competing in football... well, I worry for her safety, but she doesn't have any unfair competitive advantage over the boys.

But this girl-to-boy transgender was taking testosterone, which of course promotes muscular growth (as well as stamina, etc.), and that did give her a major (and usually forbidden) advantage over the non-PED-enhanced girls she was competing against.

A transgender wrestler in Texas, who was born a female but identifies as a male, had been taking testosterone for over a year before winning state and regional championships against female wrestlers on Saturday.

Joe Rogan linked an older article, from 2014 I believe, noting that the UFC banned "therapeutic use exemptions" for exogenous testosterone supplementation. Basically, you can find a doctor to write you a note and prescribe anything, and it's not fair to other fighters that some others doctor-shop until they get one to write them a prescription for what is, in all other circumstances, considered a performance-enhancing drug.

When Nevada got rid of the therapeutic use exemption -- and the UFC followed, because the UFC uses Nevada rules on these things -- UFC chief Dana White said something like "It's about time" and "I'm glad we finally got rid of that trash." A trash exemption, I think he meant, a silly dodge in what is otherwise a flat-ban on PEDs.

I can only speculate that this Texas wrestling tournament permitted testosterone if there was some claimed "therapeutic use exemption," and the transgender had a note that the testosterone was "medically necessary" or something, and thus the transgender was allowed to compete.

If that's the case, states should follow Nevada's rule and get rid of the therapeutic use exemption. While it's not impossible that a high-performing athlete could have low testosterone to the point where medical intervention is needed, that scenario seems unlikely in the extreme to me.

It seems to me any high-performing athlete is going to have higher-than-normal testosterone levels, and anyone seeking to boost testosterone is just looking for a medical edge, either by finding a pill-mill doctor or by using some protocol to artificially and temporarily depress testosterone just to trick one test.

Oh, by the way, a Huffpo writer had her 2nd-place medal in a (half) marathon revoked after evidence of cheating surfaced.

"If you had asked me a year ago if I would do a running race of any distance--5K, 10K, or even a half marathon--I would have immediately brushed it off and said, 'No, I hate running,'" she said.

It turned out that she did not enjoy running enough to complete the full course in Fort Lauderdale. Her fitness tracker revealed that she had shaved one and a half miles off of the 13.1-mile course. She crossed the finish line in 1:22:07 having logged just 11.65 miles--a discrepancy first noticed by MarathonInvestigation.com. She initially denied any cheating, according to the blogger, and went so far as to cycle the remaining distance to cover up her tracks.

Cute. But I guess the distance run was already registered and recorded at the moment she finished the race. Adding a mile and a half after that time wouldn't really fool the system.

"Jane made a series of very bad decisions. From cutting the course, denying it initially, accepting the 2nd place award, covering her tracks, and not fully owning up to it," the site said.

Seo posted an apology to her now-deleted Instagram account, admitting to cheating during the race. She blamed the cheating scandal on a physical ailment.

Doctors say her physical ailment is Advanced Special Snowflake Disorder with complications due to Participation Trophy Syndrome.

posted by Ace at 12:55 PM

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