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The highest-profile transgender athlete in the world is competing on British soil for the first time this week and has defended her right to race despite acknowledging she may retain an advantage even after transitioning.
Canadian cyclist Rachel McKinnon has read the findings of a study which indicates testosterone suppression for transgender women has limited effect on reducing muscle strength, particularly in the thighs.
But McKinnon, who is favourite to defend her 35-44 sprint title at the Masters Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester on Saturday, told Sky News it is a human right for transgender women to partake in competitive sport.
“All my medical records say female,” she said. “My doctor treats me as a female person, my racing licence says female, but people who oppose my existence still want to think of me as male.
“There’s a stereotype that men are always stronger than women, so people think there is an unfair advantage. By preventing trans women from competing or requiring them to take medication, you’re denying their human rights.”
Findings of a study by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute suggest the impact of hormone treatment on the leg strength of women who have transitioned from being male is almost negligible.
Asked if she accepted it is possible that transgender women retained a physical advantage over cis female competitors (the term used to describe someone who identifies as the same gender they were assigned at birth), McKinnon replied: “Is it possible? Yes it is possible. But there are elite track cyclists who are bigger than me.
“There is a range of body sizes and strength, you can be successful with massively different body shapes. To take a British example, look at Victoria Pendleton, an Olympic champion with teeny tiny legs.
“In many Olympic disciplines the gap in performance is bigger between first and eighth in a single sex event than it is between the first man and the first woman.”
Asked if her logic meant that she would favour just one category for men and women, McKinnon said that the International Olympic Committee had no appetite for such a radical change.
Tokyo 2020 is likely to be the first Olympics where an openly transgender athlete competes. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who used to lift when she was a man named Gavin, won two gold medals at the Pacific Games in April, while Brazilian volleyball player Tiffany Aubrey is also targeting the Games.
The IOC is under pressure to make their transgender rules more stringent to “protect” women’s sport, but Sky News understands that the panel charged with revising their policy is divided.
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It is one of the most politically charged and sensitive issues around – but asked whether trans inclusion was more important than retaining a category for women in sport, McKinnon replied: “I think what your asking me is, ‘Is it more important that trans people are included, than it is to retain fairness in sport?’
“My point is that trans inclusion is fairness, it is unfair to exclude trans women. This is much bigger than sport, it’s a proxy for all of trans inclusion in society. Talk of bathrooms has switched into sport by people who don’t care about sport.”
But some of McKinnon’s competitors have a hugely different viewpoint. Victoria Hood is not competing in Manchester but has raced against McKinnon in the past. She said: “It is not complicated, the science is there and it says that it is unfair.
“The male body, which has been through male puberty, still retains its advantage, that doesn’t go away.
“I have sympathy with them. They have a right to do sport but not a right to go into any category they want.”
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