Thread by @KirstiMiller30

My interview on @GMB prior to L Hubbard, competing in Tokyo.

There was hysteria b4 the games. The deers in the headlights saying she will dominate.Laurel came last she competed with a massive disadvantage & that disadvantage is androgen deprivation.

"It’s like taking the gas out of the car," says Worley. "When you lose testosterone in your physiology it’s like the car starts to shake when you take the petrol out of it. Certain functions of the body decrease or even stop functioning altogether."

rnz.co.nz/programmes/the…

"Everybody needs hormones, it’s just that we need different types of hormones depending on what chromosome type you are. And that's the problem, we've tried to homogenise gender and we've tried to compare apples with oranges.

newshub.co.nz/home/sport/202…

In XY karyotype, the endocrine system is driven by T, which is produced by the testicles. XX karyotype, it is driven by oestrogen & progesterone in addition to T.The XY endocrine system collapses without T, whereas the XX endocrine system doesn’t.
sportsintegrityinitiative.com/imagining-fair…

Sex reassignment surgery involves the complete removal of the testicles (castration), the organ responsible for the primary production of testosterone in XY bodies. Losing the ability to produce the body’s primary hormone results in a complete disruption of the endocrine system,

disabling the brain’s ability to communicate with vital body organs and carry out vital internal communications that ensures many of the body’s glands and organs work collectively and properly to ensure an athletes health, recovery and performance on the ‘field of play’.

Removing testosterone from that system severs the links between those organs and glands, throwing the body into a state of complete androgen deprivation.

Androgen deprivation is an extremely dangerous medical condition, which is well medically researched. Its common symptoms include, but are not limited to, cessation of cell synthesis due to the removal of the organ which provides the primary stimulus for testosterone production;

loss of sexual and mental health; cardio vascular issues; respiratory and metabolic impact; joint instability; complete muscle atrophy; increased subcutaneous fat levels; accelerated bone loss; premature ageing; increased vulnerability to coronary heart disease and

joint injuries; elevated core body temperature during exercise; reduced stamina; fatigue; delayed recovery; and diabetes.

Not exactly how you want to be feeling heading into your first Olympics. Yet the IOC required transgender athletes to undergo this as a prerequisite for competing in female competition from 2003 until 2016.

Hubbard competed under the rules of the 2003 policy meaning she was 9 years post operative when she competed in Tokyo.

Outside of women’s sport androgen deprivation, which is unique to the XY karyotype and is known medically as hypogonadism, is treated with testosterone supplements and intervention to elevate blood levels to increase health and wellness.

But within the sporting structures governed by IOC policy, access to testosterone is heavily regulated. XY individuals need their testosterone levels to be T>14nmol/L or higher to be healthy. Yet the IOC requires that XY females competing without a therapeutic use exemption (TUE)

– like Laurel – to maintain testosterone levels at below 10nmol/L, where XY athletes who have undergone sex reassignment are at 0.5nmol/L, as the only remaining source for their primary hormone, testosterone, is the adrenal glands.

This process does take time. But Laurel Hubbard transitioned in 2012. To be clear: because of the impact of transition on her physiology, she is at a distinct disadvantage to all her female competitors.

Laurel Hubbard did not qualify to compete at the Olympics because she was born in an XY body. Given the almost insurmountable bureaucratic barriers placed in her way, she is there despite that fact, and due to her raw determination and her love for her sport as an athlete.

From personal experience, I can tell you that it is next to impossible to continue competing at the international level in most sports, let alone safely, while abiding by the IOC Policy – which is also used to set the policies of sport-specific, national and regional governing

bodies as signatories to the Olympic Movement, worldwide. Beyond competing in sport, it is impossible to maintain your basic health as a transitioned XY female competitor without therapeutic support and the necessary infrastructure and understanding.

podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/oly…

@threadreaderapp please unroll X

@JanglesLad