The Trans Athlete Debate Is Handing Bigots a Megaphone – and I Hate It

Look – I’m not here to throw shade at anyone’s identity. I’m a live-and-let-live kind of gal. Trans women? Women. Trans men? Men. Use whichever bathroom makes you comfy – I’m just trying to get in and out while touching as few surfaces as possible. I’ve got no beef with anyone being their authentic self. But – I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the whole transgender athletes in women’s sports thing. Not because I don’t support trans folks – but because this one issue feels like it’s tossing a Molotov cocktail into a fight we were actually winning.

Let’s start with the obvious – most people are cool with trans rights these days. Polls say about 70% of Americans back nondiscrimination protections for transgender people. Jobs – housing – healthcare? Yes – make it fair. But then you ask about sports – specifically biological males competing as trans women against biological females – and that number flips faster than a Trump campaign promise. A 2021 UCLA poll found 60% of people think it’s unfair. And as a former female student athlete, I have to kind of agree. There’s an obvious reason why this debate is only about female trans athletes.

Here’s the deal – women’s sports already have a steep hill to climb. We’ve spent decades clawing our way out of the “cute little hobby” stereotype – fighting for funding – airtime – respect. Title IX was a game-changer – but it’s still a slog. Female athletes deal with lower pay – less hype – and a culture that’s quicker to ogle than celebrate. Now toss in a trans woman – someone who didn’t grow up with the same physical baggage – or even biological – which gives them more than just strength advantages. Trans women have never had to play through the pain of period cramps.

Puberty isn’t a social construct – it’s a biological freight train. Testosterone builds muscle – widens shoulders – it changes the game. Even if you transition early – those blueprints don’t vanish. Biological advantages don’t disappear just because we wish they would.

Data underscores the this disparity. Studies, such as a 2021 review in Sports Medicine, show that even after hormone therapy, transgender women can maintain strength and endurance edges over cisgender women, though the gap narrows over time. This isn’t about denying their womanhood—trans women are women – but about acknowledging that cisgender women’s experiences, shaped by a lifetime without testosterone’s boost, aren’t identical. Historically, women’s sports carved out separation not to exclude, but to level a playing field tilted by biology and society. Trans inclusion risks tipping it back.

The numbers, though, reveal the true paradox: this is a tiny issue blown out of proportion. In 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified that fewer than 10 of the 520,000 collegiate athletes under his purview were transgender. The Trump executive order directly impacts an estimated 100 to 500 transgender girls and women in U.S. scholastic sports, with the most precise guesses centering around 160 or fewer teens.

Yet, every headline about a trans swimmer or runner becomes a lightning rod – and suddenly every MAGAbot has got a soapbox about “fairness” that sounds suspiciously like a dog whistle. The anti-trans crowd doesn’t need much ammo – but we’re gift-wrapping it for them.

A perfect example is the story of how Maine Governor Janet Mills has faced significant backlash within her state following a public clash with President Donald Trump in February by her refusal to comply with his executive order banning transgender women from women’s sports. The confrontation unfolded during a National Governors Association meeting at the White House, where Trump singled out Mills, threatening to cut Maine’s federal funding – over $360 million annually for education – if she didn’t align with the order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed on February 5th.

Mills responded defiantly, promising legal action with “See you in court,” prompting a swift Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education into Maine’s Department of Education on February 22, 2025, for allegedly violating federal antidiscrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to compete. This standoff ended up thrusting Mills into a national debate, intensifying local tensions over fairness and transgender rights.

Within Maine, the reaction has been sharply divided. Conservative critics, including Republican State Representative Laurel Libby – who was censured by the Maine House on February 25th, for outing a transgender athlete – have rallied against Mills, with over 22,000 reportedly signing a petition to recall her, decrying her stance as undermining women’s sports and defying federal authority. Posts on social media and local reports, like those from The Maine Wire, highlight anger among some residents who see her position as unpopular, citing national polls like UCLA’s 2021 finding that 60% of Americans oppose transgender women in female sports.

Meanwhile – progressive supporters like Stephen King and LGBTQ+ advocates are praising Mills for standing against what they see as discriminatory overreach – with competing petitions showing just how divided Maine is. No funding cuts have happened yet – but the drama has sparked a recall movement and put Mills under the microscope. She’s term-limited and can’t run again in 2026 – so this mess will likely define her legacy.

Look, I want trans equality – badly. I want trans women to live as women – full stop. But there’s this nagging voice asking: why die on this hill? If progressives can lock in 99% of what trans folks need – marriage – jobs – safety – why burn it all down over sports? Cis women deserve their own spaces too – not out of hate – but because their experiences aren’t interchangeable. Asking trans athletes to sit this one out isn’t exile – it’s compromise. And yeah – compromise sucks when you’re the one giving something up – but when the alternative is feeding bigots fodder to undo everything – maybe it’s worth it.

To be crystal clear: recreational sports? Open the gates wide. Play pickup games, swing a club, whatever – trans, cis, everyone’s invited, no roster check needed. That’s the joy of casual fun, and I’m all about it. Competitive sports, though? That’s where I pause.

Am I wrong? Maybe. I’m not a scientist or a policymaker – just a former female athlete with a gut feeling. I’d rather see trans folks thriving in 99% of life than see this 1% drama tank the whole ship. The push for inclusion is noble – but when it starts carving craters in women’s sports and handing haters a script – it’s fair to wonder: are we strengthening equality – or weakening it?