I don't completely agree with the idea that trans women should compete against cis women in all circumstances. If you went through a regular testosterone-driven puberty and only a few months of HRT, you shouldn't be allowed to compete, as the physical changes from male puberty wouldn't be sufficiently mitigated. However, I believe that trans women who have undergone years of HRT should be able to compete, as their testosterone levels would be in the physiologic range of cis women at that point, which should significantly reduce any unfair advantages.
Hormone therapy significantly reduces muscle mass, strength, and hemoglobin levels, which means any perceived advantage trans women might have isn't as absolute as some people claim. If trans women truly had an overwhelming, unfair advantage, they would be dominating women's sports across the board, but they aren't. The fact that they compete without consistently winning proves that the issue is more complex than people assume. Governing bodies like the NCAA and IOC have already studied this and implemented policies to ensure fair competition.
A lot of people don't want to admit this, but this isn't as simple as it's being made out to be. There's a lot of nuance being missed in these conversations. Not all males and females experience puberty the same way either, and sports already account for natural differences through weight classes, skill levels, and so on.
As for the argument that "male leagues are co-ed," that's misleading. While technically open, men's leagues are not meaningfully co-ed in practice. Women still face structural barriers to competing at high levels in those spaces.
And when it comes to community-based decision-making, that actually makes sense. Sports have always been structured based on what works for different levels and governing bodies, rather than one-size-fits-all bans. The assumption that trans women have an undeniable advantage doesn't hold up under real-world results, and if they were truly dominating, there might be a case, but they aren't, so what exactly is the problem?
Trans men do compete in male leagues at the collegiate and professional levels too, but their numbers are small due to the overall population of trans athletes and barriers to transitioning within competitive sports.
