By: Pauline Dulang, Reporter
OMAHA, Neb. – UNO’s director of the Office of Student Life said women’s rights are inclusive of trans women’s rights, but some locals are questioning where we draw a line.
Representing the University of Pennsylvania, Lia Thomas is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.
Thomas gained attention back in December posting nation-leading times in the 200 and 500 freestyles, sparking debate between values of fairness versus inclusion and whether or not those two are mutually exclusive.
According to a New Yorker article, people who’ve gone through testosterone-driven puberty have, on average, more cardiovascular capacity, greater muscle mass, higher tendon mechanical strength, and denser bones. They tend to be stronger and taller, with longer wingspans.
However, both men and women produce unique levels estrogen and testosterone.
Is testosterone really the hormone that dominates and divides?
Former Doane University soccer player Matt Jones said a lot of collegiate athletes feel torn. He said the conversation becomes complicated very quickly, making it difficult to reach a formal stance on the matter.
“As a former collegiate athlete, knowing that she had been through puberty before making that transition, she might have had some kind of benefit or advantage.”
UNO’s director of the Office of Student Life, Jessi Hitchins, Ph.D., said UNO has policies and procedures in place to protect trans students on campus, but there is a constant push and pull between first amendment rights and diversity and inclusion.
“There’s a huge elephant on every queer and trans person on this campus because they see how the world is not accepting them. I see that in our students on a day-to-day basis.”
Hitchins said Thomas meets the hormone requirements set forth by the NCAA. She adds people are quick to jump on the bandwagon without doing proper research on how the body reacts to hormone therapy and that since Thomas has lower levels of testosterone, she must work harder to build muscle than her female competitors.
“A trans person, in the binary speaking, experiences the same things that someone who is assigned that gender at birth experiences,” said Hitchins.
She emphasizes the need for people to be aware of local and state-wide policies implemented by Nebraska legislature. Due to the local governance, she says Omaha is technically a safe place for trans and queer people to live, but that can quickly change based on who is elected.
