The Relationship between Sexism and Transgender Exclusion in Sport

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the relationship between transgender and sports. Specifically, there has been increasing criticism of transgender women participating in women's sports, leading several international governing bodies such as World Athletics to effectively exclude transgender individuals. In the United States, numerous laws have been passed since 2020 that effectively exclude transgender athletes from interscholastic athletic activities, placing transgender sports participation rights in crisis. Protecting women's sports is often cited as a reason for transgender exclusion; however, the logic and systems behind transgender exclusion mirror those of gender discrimination. This study begins by examining the history of sex control systems in sports. It then examines the logic and systems of transgender exclusion in sports, focusing on the rapid spread of so-called ‘anti-trans laws’ in the United States since 2020, and aims to examine the relationship between transgender exclusion and gender discrimination. Furthermore, this study considers the issue of excluding transgender children and youths from school sports, which are provided as part of their education.