how do the ladies feel about Michelle Dumaresq?

[pgh-hg]

ok, let me first state this....I am by no stretch of the imagination closed minded or uneducated. The past several issues of dirtrag have brought an issue in the light....transgendered athletes. Im curious how other ladies feel about this? I understand that hormone therapy and the introduction of estrogen into the body cuts back on all of the "male" characteristics....but....I dont know how I feel. I want to embrace the idea of racing against a gal that was once a guy I really really do, Im just curious how everyone else out there is thinking.

[thanita]

From the perspective of a woman who never races against Michelle, I wish her the best. As a transwoman/athlete, she has had to go through stuff that others of us will never even grasp. The fact that she rides is secondary, really. She's a woman, she should race in that class.

Devils advocate - if I were racing against Michelle, I would imagine it's easy to be supportive until . . . she starts winning. I bet there's a lot of women out there who wonder just how much hormone therapy does or doesn't do. Does she have an advantage over other women? How much? How little? None at all?

The complexities of biology and culture . . . in any case, I would venture to say that the last thing Michelle was probably thinking about as she went through the trans process was kicking other women's asses in the DH. ;)
T

[Divscotty]

I too wish Michelle good luck in ventures whatever they may be.

However, Michelle should race in the men's division.

It just seems to me that a line needs to be drawn somewhere and a good enough line is birth.

I would think Michelle has enough flags to bear without adding what sex to race in.

If Michelle cannot win in the mens - so be it.

Michelle is not a woman and never will be a woman. The surgery and drugs may make Michelle feel woman-like and appear woman-like. And for Michelle's sake I hope they do. However, Michelle is an altered male and I hope a happy one.

Divscotty

[LizzyB]

Originally posted by Divscotty
I too wish Michelle good luck in ventures whatever they may be.

However, Michelle should race in the men's division.

It just seems to me that a line needs to be drawn somewhere and a good enough line is birth.

I would think Michelle has enough flags to bear without adding what sex to race in.

If Michelle cannot win in the mens - so be it.

Michelle is not a woman and never will be a woman. The surgery and drugs may make Michelle feel woman-like and appear woman-like. And for Michelle's sake I hope they do. However, Michelle is an altered male and I hope a happy one.

Divscotty

So, by using the birth criteria, then a female to male postop transsexual should compete in the female category? This would be someone who has the desired XX chromosomes, but has had their body "altered" and has been taking testosterone for some number of years.

Lizz

[Divscotty]

I believe in most sports it is illegal for women to take testosterone and compete (the Olympics for example). They are banned from competing. Numerous German comptetors have been disqualified if memory serves correct.

So why not the same for the men taking hormones also?

Divscotty

[LizzyB]

Because estrogen is not known as a performance enhancing hormone. In fact, it is known to be just the opposite. I'm always amazed that so many people are convinced that simply by having been male that person automatically has an overwhelming advantage over all females.

That said, this is a very tricky question and I don't think it has such a cut and dried answer as simply using birth sex. As more transfolks become active participants in athletic competition a larger database will be created from which to draw clearer conclusions about the applicability of where to allow them to compete. However, the Canadian licensing board obviously felt that the understanding of the effects of hormones and surgery on an individual was sufficient to rule the way they did.

Lizz