u/hitstun — hitstun

Turns out this comment was right.

That's definitely going to ruin people's athletic careers, but at least this arbitrary definition has some merit in athletics. It's important to say that getting disqualified this way doesn't make someone a less "real" woman. Women can get disqualified from events this way. That's why I'd rename them to the "open" and "two X chromosomes" contests.

OK, so hold up. This isn't testing if a woman is trans. This test also disqualifies cis women who have genetic conditions that give them masculine physical traits. This article gives examples of women's gold medalists who are cis but would now be disqualified.

We might have to replace the men's and women's categories with "open" and "two X chromosomes". Cis and trans people of all genders might be surprised to find whether or not they qualify for the "two X chromosomes" category. Particularly effeminate cis men might qualify for "two X chromosomes". This actually seems like a fair way to level the playing field, accomplishing what the current men's and women's divisions try to do.

I am a little worried about the idea of disqualifying athletes for having beneficial genes. This could have implications beyond women's sports, like being banned from basketball for being too tall.