If a man and a woman fought with their fists, who would win? It's not going to happen in a neighborhood alley. It may not be long before we see it play out in the Olympics.
Recently, the United States Boxing Association allowed "biological men" who transitioned to female in amateur bouts to compete against female fighters. Now, female boxers may have to risk their lives to compete in the Olympics.
Transgender athletes already compete in women's events in swimming, weightlifting, cycling, and other sports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed transgender athletes to compete in the Olympics in May 2004 with the Stockholm Consensus. For the first time, a New Zealand weightlifter competed in the women's 87+ kilogram category at the Tokyo Olympics. In the United States, a University of Pennsylvania swimmer won the women's competition for the first time in 2022. In South Korea, a transgender cyclist won the women's race.
"A matter of life and death"
However, the controversy continues. "When a person changes sex, a biological male retains his natural physical advantages, including his physique. Many sports ban transgender women from competing for "equity" reasons or impose hormone level standards.
Some sports, such as weightlifting and swimming, may be less disadvantaged by the conditions of competition. Athletes take turns competing. Even if they compete together, there"s no direct physical contact and no strength contests. They"re ranked according to their individual records.
However, boxing is completely different. It"s not a competition for records. It"s a sport where athletes punch and hit each other. The goal is to land one more punch to win. It's not about hitting a ball. It's about hitting your opponent in the head. It"s a sport where you hit your opponent in the head. It"s very dangerous. Many players have been killed in matches between men.
Even a transsexual "woman" is a biological man. Can a woman beat 'her' with her fists? In boxing, more than any other sport, the biological differences between the sexes must be carefully considered. A fighter's life is on the line.
Allowing a transgender athlete to compete in a women's boxing match goes beyond the logic of the ideology that LGBTQ rights should be respected, and raises questions of human nature: a woman's life should be respected.
"It's a matter of life and death," said Kara Castronova, a former American amateur boxing champion and ring announcer. "The Boxing Association's decision is a dangerous one that could lead to the disability or death of biological female athletes," she said, calling it "a frivolous step that pushes the sport to a more dangerous level."
"The abilities of a biological male are not diminished"
Opponents of the USA Boxing's decision argue that when a man undergoes sex reassignment surgery and lowers his male hormone levels, it does not diminish the physical structure or abilities of a biological male. Their fist size remains the same, as well as the size of their heart and lungs. The superiority of biological functions such as bone density, joints, and reaction time are not diminished. In such a situation, if a biological man and woman fight each other, even in the same weight class, the outcome is obvious. 안전토토사이트
In the United States, women have long fought for the right to box. The National Boxing Association only opened its doors to women in 1993 after losing a case in the Supreme Court. In 1995, the first women's bout was held in New York. Compared to other women's sports, it has a very short history. The addition of three women"s weight classes at the 2012 London Olympics gave women"s boxing a boost.
Now, amateur women"s boxing in the United States is at a crossroads. Most of the athletes come from poor backgrounds. Boxing is their only chance to escape poverty. The Olympics is their best hope and goal.
For an amateur female boxer to make it to the Olympics, she has to fight in tournaments and improve her ranking. If they refuse to fight biological men, they won't be able to continue their careers. She would have to give up competitions like the Olympics. Or, she could risk her life and fight the biological man. In the name of respecting human rights, are we being foolish enough to sacrifice our own humanity?
Transsexualism has long since become a political issue. Sports are also bruised.