If you missed it, the big news last week comes from a mixed martial arts fighter, Fallon Fox, whose license to fight in the state of Florida under review. Fox is the first openly transgender fighter in the MMA sport.
Fox revealed that she was transgender to Sports Illustrated after a well-placed knee knocked out her opponent Ericka Newsome in just 39 seconds. It came out to SI that she was transgender because a reporter who knew her formerly as a man recognized her.
When the news of Fox being a transgender athlete broke, it unsurprisingly sparked a debate. The surprising part was that it was a scientific debate, not Neanderthal debate.
Sure, there were some stupid things said and written about Fox, but the main crux of the conversation centered around whether it is safe for other female fighters to face Fox, as a formerly male fighter.
In a sport where you can beat another person to death by accident, I think it is a fair question to ask. I wanted to learn more true information--not uneducated opinion, but real science. I spent the next week reading everything I could about any potential advantage Fox might have as a transgender fighter.
I, personally, would err on the side of caution, because MMA is a combat sport where someone could truly be hurt. But everything I read essentially agreed that Fox lost any advantage as a man when she began hormone therapy to become the woman she always felt she should be.
Testosterone levels decrease as estrogen therapy is used. Most of the doctor's research I read said that years after estrogen therapy, Fox's testosterone levels are that of a woman.
Fox underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2006. Doctors who have performed multiple gender reassignments say she has long lost any advantage she had being born a man.
Some believe that Fox still has an advantage, but those articles are outnumbered at least three to one by those who say it is safe for her to fight other women. Neither the Florida Boxing Commission nor Championship Fighting Alliance, including CEO and CFA founder Jorge De La Noval, even knew Fox was a transgender fighter.
De La Noval is standing behind Fox and is certain she will be allowed to continue in the CFA. Currently, neither Florida nor California has ruled on Fox's application to be a professional fighter.
It is always hard to be the first at anything, but Fox coming out as a transgender athlete is sparking conversation and educating the MMA world on transgender athletes. Instead of myths or hysteria, people are learning that Fox is no different from any other woman and should be treated the same as her peers.
Learning about Fox inspired me to learn more about transgender athletes and any advantages they might have over their opponents. It was really nice to see that the conversation was mainly focused on the safety of all the fighters' involved, not outdated unscientific arguments.
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