In the 21st century, several anti-trans organizations dedicated to maintaining sex segregation in competitive sport emerged in response to participation by transgender athletes.
Sex segregationists seek to preserve the few remaining sex-segregated institutions, often claiming they are necessary to protect vulnerable populations.
These organizations rarely address the larger ethical problems of sex-segregated competitive sports:
- Do sex-segregated competitive sports perpetuate inequality and help keep half the population in a subordinate social role?
- Are many sports popular specifically because they help keep half the population in a subordinate social role?
- Is it fair to force competitors with ânatural advantagesâ like high testosterone to alter their bodies in order to compete?
As with other forms of segregation in sport, like the Special Olympics, critics argue that segregation reinforces negative stereotypes and is ultimately patronizing.
Organizations
These organizations make attacks on transgender athletes a significant part of their activism.
- Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar)
- Champion Women
- Concerned Women for America
- Fair Play for Women
- Fairness First PAC
- Independent Council on Womenâs Sports
- Independent Women’s Forum
- International Consortium on Female Sport
- Macdonald-Laurier Institute
- Our Bodies, Our Sports
- Save Womenâs Sport Australasia
- Save Womenâs Sports (US)
- Sex Matters
- Women’s Declaration International
- Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF)
- Women’s Sports Policy Working Group
- XX-XY Athletics
Several anti-trans websites, including She Won and He Cheated, document sporting events in which trans athletes participated.
Individuals
A number of people have been at the forefront of organized opposition, including:
- Reem Alsalem
- Sharron Davies
- Cathy Devine
- Riley Gaines
- Emma Hilton
- Nancy Hogshead-Makar
- Sabine Hossenfelder
- Leslie A. Howe
- April Hutchinson
- Miroslav ImbriĆĄeviÄ
- Tommy Lundberg
- Bill Maher
- Fiona McAnena
- Piers Morgan
- Jennifer Sey
- Ben Shapiro
- Herschel Walker
- Nicola Williams
Conservative and ex-trans people who have been involved in organized opposition include:
- Buck Angel
- Chris Beck
- Corinna Cohn
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Oli London
- Renée Richards
- Blaire White
Resources
Movement Advancement Project (lgbtmap.org)
- State bans on transgender youth participation in sports (US)
- lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/youth/sports_participation_bans
Champion Women (championwomen.org)
Fair Play for Women (fairplayforwomen.com)
Fairness First PAC (fairnessfirst.us)
He Cheated (hecheated.org)
Independent Council on Women’s Sports (iconswomen.com)
International Consortium on Female Sport (icfsport.org)
Save Womenâs Sports (savewomenssports.com) [archive]
Save Womenâs Sport Australasia (savewomenssport.com)
She Won (shewon.org)