USA Boxing allows Biological Men to Compete in Women’s Division

USA Boxing, the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing in the U.S., has released a new set of guidelines permitting trans-identifying biological males to compete against women beginning this year.

Trans-identifying boxers who want to compete in official Olympic-style boxing events in the U.S. will have to fulfill several requirements to compete in the gender category they are interested in fighting in, including a legal declaration of their new gender identities, undergoing sex change surgeries and submitting to routine hormone testing.

Male-to-female boxers must prove through routine hormone testing that, for the last 48 months before their first competition, their serum total testosterone levels are less than five nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). To continue competing in the female division, their serum total testosterone levels must remain below five nmol/L for the duration of their intended eligibility.

On the other hand, female-to-male boxers must demonstrate that their serum total testosterone levels have been above 10 nmol/L for at least 48 months before their first competitions. Similar to the MtF boxers, their serum total testosterone levels must stay above 10 nmol/L for the duration of their eligibility.

Minors are not allowed to compete outside of their biological sex’s category. These new categories are in line with rules drafted by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) 2021 rules for transgender participation in sports.

USA Boxing requirements UNFAIR and DANGEROUS

Many female boxers have repeatedly spoken against allowing male-born transgender competitors to participate in matches in the women’s divisions, citing unfairness due to their biological advantages and critical safety concerns.

“According to a study, a male blow has 163 percent more impact than a woman’s, even adjusted for weight,” said Canadian female boxer Dr. Katia Bissonnette, who withdrew from a provincial competition in Quebec after finding out that she would be competing against a transgender competitor. She cited a study from the University of Utah. “In the group studied, the weakest man remains physically superior to the strongest woman.”

“Women shouldn’t have to bear the physical and psychological risks brought by a man’s decisions regarding his personal life and identity,” said Bissonette. “There should be two categories: biological male and female.”

Despite these concerns, progressives are actually complaining about USA Boxing’s new rules because they are among the strictest policies for trans athletes.

Athlete Ally, a pro-trans group that advocates for more transgender participation in sports, argues that the surgery requirements and testosterone testing “jeopardize athletes’ dignity and autonomy” and may harm their health. The group also claims that research into transgender athletes and their biological advantages over their competitors is “limited” and doesn’t take into account the many other nuanced factors that may affect competitive advantage.

Samantha Riedel, writing for the pro-LGBT news website Them, argues that even the IOC recommends against policies that are supposedly “invasive” or otherwise unnecessary like sex changes and gynecological examinations.

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