Controversy has erupted worldwide over Imane Khelif, a “biologically male” athlete who competed against opponent Angela Carini in the women’s boxing event this week at the Olympic Games.
But the problem of athletes playing sports that do not match their biological sex is not new and has been a hot topic in the US for years.
Since 2020, half of US states have passed various bans preventing transgender youth from participating in female school sports.
Nearly all of these elections have been led by Republicans, underscoring the politically charged nature of the issue.
The map above shows the states that have banned transgender youth from participating in sports. These states are primarily located in the southern and central US.
Khelif, who was born female but tested positive for XY chromosomes (which is normal in males), defeated Carini just 46 seconds into the match, with her opponent withdrawing due to fears for her safety.
Since then, there has been a lot of criticism online, with many figures, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling, claiming that Khelif should not have been entered in the women’s category.
Before the match, high school volleyball player Payton McNabb, who was partially paralyzed after a transgender player hit her with a ball, said it was “disgusting” that Khelif was allowed to compete.
Since her injury, the North Carolina native has been instrumental in pushing for a ban in her state on biological males participating in women’s sports.
She has called on other states to do the same, arguing that allowing trans women to compete in women’s sports could be dangerous and deprive biological women of the opportunity to play sports.
Several studies show that biological males maintain an advantage over their female fellow athletes, even years after they begin transitioning and taking hormones to lower their testosterone.
This is the evidence that several states have used in proposing a ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
These bans prevent transgender children from playing on teams that match their gender identity, but not their biological sex.
Transgender youth make up approximately one percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in schools.
Of the states that have implemented a ban, 11 say a child’s sex is determined by the gender listed on his or her birth certificate.
Oklahoma requires a sworn statement, a written statement made under oath about a child’s sex on the birth certificate, while other states prohibit theirs from including details about a biological male.
A map from the trans rights think tank Movement Advancement Project, which advocates for statewide voting, shows that the 25 states that have passed bans are mostly in the Southeast and West, and nearly all are Republican-led.
These include the Dakotas, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, Montana, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, and Louisiana.
The Movement Advancement Project calls the policy “a blanket ban on transgender participation in sports, and these bans are both unnecessary and harmful.”
In these states, too, lawmakers have limited or are attempting to limit options for people who identify as trans, including restricting hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and access to restrooms.
States where transgender youth are allowed to participate in sports that align with their gender identity include California, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Georgia, Minnesota and Illinois.
Unlike the states themselves, these states generally have protections in place for people who identify as trans, including bathroom choices, workplace and school protections, and access to hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers.