Thread by @delaneykingrox

This is a common misconception.

These stats are for someone whose tissues are influenced by "male range" testosterone levels.

HRT used for transgender women causes the muscles to atrophy as cells are replaced. Muscle mass is greatly reduced and it becomes...

https://twitter.com/brettg1974/status/1496052109774843908

...a vastly different body.

Likewise, testosterone in trans masc people ups their ability to form muscle, pushing them out of the "womens" range into the "mens".

I was a martial artist before transition, and I grew up on a farm. I was pretty solid.

Now I cannot open jam jars.

Saying "biological men" shouldn't compete in womens sports is a very true statement. They shouldn't, because they have testosterone advantage.

Intersex and transgender women on HRT are not biological men- and that is true on a cellular level.

The proteins formed...

...by cells are shaped by which parts of the DNA are active. And what informs that in mammals is hormone levels.

As our cells are replaced, new cells only have hormones to tell them if they should behave using "male" code or "female" code.

As for having a bigger skeleton, yes that is absolutely not going to change, as we build bone ontop of previous bone.

However if you put a small engine in a heavy chassis, your car is going to perform badly. The same is true for a bulky skeleton and weaker muscles.

I am taller than average women, which would absolutely give me an advantage in basketball- had I the ability to grow enough muscle to get my lanky ass to the rim. And I sure as hell won't be able to jump.

I not only have to work harder to get my body trained, I have to...

...learn to use my new body. Yes, even as slowly as HRT transition happens, the changes can be dramatic enough that it screws up your muscle memory.

I missed my mouth trying to drink, I banged my boobs on doorframes, I stubbed my toe... I was a mess.

Imagine a world...

...class athlete suddenly having muscle melt off and having sensitive boobs develop for a year or two?

Your fat deposits shift too, so you start putting an extra layer of fat on (which gives women that softer curved look and means we don't feel the cold as much)

and your fat distributes to different places- your thighs and your chest.

Balance needs to shift. Your walk cycle shifts. Your weight on your feet rolls differently. I dropped a whole shoe size.

HRT trans women bodies are NOT biologically men. Far from it.

And jesus, having softer skin is a real pain. You notice this first... your body hair and skin soften (watch new transitioners rubbing their arms all the time) and you start to cut and bruise easier.

Oh, and listen up. If your HRT involves testosterone blockers-

...these push up your salt levels and your body responds by A) making you want to pee all the time- including interrupting your sleep and B) you crave salty snacks to replace the salts your body flushes.

Pro athlete having sleep disruption and craving salty snacks? Yikes.

By the time any transgender person hits a sport with enough body control and ability to complete confidently, they would have gone through a huge amount of change, disruption and adaptation a cisgender athlete would not have. They would absolutely test hormonally in "normal"...

Ranges for hormone levels. And any advantage is long lost.

So stop saying biological men shouldn't compete in women's sports. Of course they shouldn't.

But transgender and intersex people are NOT biological men. We do not have the hormone advantage.

End of lesson.

Addendum: I am an intersex person- my body did not produce very high levels of testosterone, but I appeared for the most part "male".
My doctor noticed my body did not conform to "standard" expectations of male, and after a few tests I was found to be intersex...

...one skeletal difference I have is a "female" carry angle. My arms bend outwards when held at my sides, palm forward. Typically women have around a 15 degree variation to men, possibly to curve around wider hips.

My body is essentially a pick n mix of qualities.

My spine was more flexible then most boys and when we played that party game - I could easily pick up objects with my head at 45 degrees to my body with my weight resting against the wall and then straighten up to standing- something girls can do but boys can't.

So, where do I go in sport? Does my development give me an advantage over boys? Does my inability to run without pain come from this?

Which team is it fair that I go on?

And why does a male swimmer with unusually big hands and lungs become a legend? But I am unfair?

Humans are complex and varied and there is no absolutes.

Unfortunately the only way to get people to fit in neat boxes is tge painful process of cutting them up.

But that is the whole point, isn't it?

Want some more science?

Here is an explanation of how hormones enter a cell and change the way the DNA functions.

Hormone replacement therapy means you take hormones daily that rebalance your body hormone levels to match those of the sexual characteristics you want your body to have.
Over time, your body shifts as your cells are replaced and their receptors lock to the new hormones.

Those secondary characteristics include muscle and fat deposits.

Ergo, someone on HRT for a few years has cells no different to a "typical" person of the gender they transition to.

Muscle and fat deposits, skin toughness, ability to form muscle... all the same.

Science bitches.

But hey, if the government actually listened to science none of us would be in this pandemic shit hole in the first place.

And this, folks, is the prime minister. Taking his mask off so he can see the weld.

Being an intersex trans person in a country run by this muppet? Chilling.

I need a drink.

You have to ask yourself why now, when the government is failing to act on the pandemic, is it suddenly so vital to attack transgender kids?

Priorities?

Diversion?

Scape goating?

This is gutter politics at its worst. He is aiming to kill queer kids to gather public support

I am gonna need a strong coffee to get me going tomorrow because, yay, I am in a minority group prone to suicide that is a punch bag for politicians and my career tanked after I transitioned.

Yay.

Shout me a coffee here.

ko-fi.com/dellak

Gnite people.

Couple of notes:

When people say "he is on "Steroids"- this refers to injecting androgens ( testosterone) to get that easier muscle gain advantage.

A steroid is a type of compound, and a steroid hormone is a steroid that is used as a messenger.

Estrogen is also a steroid.

Transgender women take estrodial- a form of estrogen. It's the same as "the pill", but you take about three times the dose per day.

Transgender men are given testosterone injections (called their T shot).

HRT atrophies the gonads (testes/overies) and they shut down.

I mention this because people assume that transgender women still have "balls".

Mmmm no, they shut up shop pretty quickly and start to shrink away. (Again, no man would want to transition to a woman just to perv on women- the effects on their junk alone would deter)

As the gonads are the primary source of sex hormones, when they shut down, the body needs the HRT of T or estrogen. If we don't get it, problems occur such as osteoporosis.

Transition is a magical thing- like you are doctor who and you regenerate into someone else- only in slow motion.

What you are seeing come out is your own DNA. You become like your own twin sister or brother. Same person but different parts of your genes activated.

People just don't get told about the HRT side of things. They only hear about the surgeries and they see male actors playing trans women... which skews their idea of a trans woman to be a dude in a skirt.

But HRT is a massive, MASSIVE change on a biological level.

Seriously, you have no idea just how amazing it is. Especially when you are on the inside looking out.

But at the end of the day, you trade feeling right and comfortable in your own body for being a minority that gets massively shat on by society.

But we do it...

...because the inner pain is worse.

Cisgender people cannot picture what it feels like to have gender dysphoria. Or the relief that comes from aligning your body and your life to your gender identity.

It is life.