USA Fencing's Transgender and Non-Binary Policy
As some of you may be aware, the USA Fencing Board approved a policy for transgender athletes in fencing on October 30, 2022.
The enactment of a transgender policy is consistent with recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) that national governing sports bodies enact policies that align with the needs of their sports specifically. The policy adopted by USA Fencing generally falls in line with that adopted by the NCAA.
You can read the complete USA Fencing policy HERE and the NCAA policy HERE.
USA fencing Transgender Policy
The final policy adopted by the USA Fencing Board differs from the original proposed policy in that requirements to test testosterone levels were eliminated in the final approved policy.
No restrictions in Y10, Y12, Y14 and Cadet
There are no restrictions within these 4 age groups for a fencer to register to compete in the gender category that they identify with.
Restrictions apply to Junior, Senior and Veteran Athletes
The restrictions apply to all fencers competing in these 3 categories including youth and cadet fencers.
Female to Male (FTM) athletes
athletes who have received testosterone treatment for gender transition are only eligible to compete in men’s events, and may no longer compete in women’s events.
athletes who have not received testosterone treatment may compete in either men’s or women’s events.
Note that testosterone is an illegal substance banned by sports governing bodies, and athletes require dispensation to receive testosterone treatment.
male to female (MTF) athletes
Athletes who provide proof of testosterone suppression treatment for a minimum period of one year may compete in women’s events provided the proof is submitted prior to competition.
Athletes may continue to compete in men’s events whether or not they have undertaken hormone therapy.
restrictions on nonbinary athletes
Athletes who wish to compete as a gender different from the one assigned at birth must comply with the above restrictions for transgender athletes.
comparison to the ncaa policy
As we pointed out earlier, the USA Fencing policy generally follows the existing NCAA policy for transgender athletes.
SummAry of the NCAA policy
Female to Male (FTM) athletes
A female athlete (FTM athlete) who has not received any hormone treatment may compete on both the women’s and men’s teams. Participation of that athlete on the men’s team makes the team a mixed team. That mixed team is still eligible to compete in men’s NCAA championships.
Once a female athlete (FTM athlete) undertakes approved testosterone treatment, that athlete may compete on a men’s team, but not on a women’s team without changing that team to a mixed team.
Male to Female (MTF) Athletes
In the absence of proof of approved testosterone suppression treatment, a male competing on a female team makes the team a mixed team, and that team will not be eligible to compete in women’s NCAA championships.
A male athlete (MTF athlete) who receives testosterone suppression treatment can continue to compete on a men’s team. That athlete can compete on the women’s team as well, but the women’s team will be a mixed team until that athlete has received testosterone suppression treatment for one year.
The Reasoning Behind NCAA Policy
USA Fencing’s policy on transgender and non binary athletes appears to be largely based on NCAA policy rationales.
increasing number of high school and college-aged people identify as transgender
According to the NCAA, increasing numbers of high school and college-aged people, albeit still small in number, identify as transgender challenging old assumptions that gender is fixed at birth. As such, there is a need to create educational and extracurricular activities that meet the needs of these young people and to provide them with equal opportunities in a safe and respectful environment.
Parents of young people who identify as transgender have also come out in strong support of their children.
Equal Opportunity and Inclusion
Sports is an integral part of a young person’s life, and it is important that all students are able to participate fully in intercollegiate athletics programs.
According to the NCAA, “As a core value, the NCAA believes in and is committed to diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators. The NCAA seeks to establish and maintain an inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds. Diversity and inclusion improve the learning environment for all student-athletes and enhance excellence within the Association.”
concerns about competitive equity
The NCAA acknowledged that there have been concerns about competitive equity, especially in relation to athletes who were born male, but who identify as female. There is concern that these MTF athletes will take away opportunities for women, or that MTF athletes will have a competitive advantage over women.
On this issue, the NCAA makes clear that:
Transgender girls who medically transition at an early age do not go through a male puberty, and therefore their participation in athletics as girls does not raise the same equity concerns that arise when transgender women transition after puberty.
Any strength and endurance advantages a transgender woman arguably may have as a result of her prior testosterone levels dissipate after about one year of estrogen or testosterone-suppression therapy. According to medical experts on this issue, the assumption that a transgender woman competing on a women’s team would have a competitive advantage outside the range of performance and competitive advantage or disadvantage that already exists among female athletes is not supported by evidence.
See: ‘I Am Lia’: The Trans Swimmer Dividing America Tells Her Story
Fears that men will pretend to be female to compete on a women’s team are unwarranted given that in the entire 40 year history of “sex verification” procedures in international sport competitions, no instances of such “fraud” have been revealed. Instead, rather than identifying men who are trying to fraudulently compete as women, “sex verification” tests have been misused to humiliate and unfairly exclude women with intersex conditions.
The apparent failure of such tests to serve their stated purpose of deterring fraud— and the terrible damage they have caused to individual women athletes—should be taken into account when developing policies for the inclusion of transgender athletes.
The NCAA is confident that sound medical science shows that male-to-female transgender athletes do not have any automatic advantage over other women.
Benefits of Inclusive Practices
The NCAA is clear that “School-based sports, even at the most competitive levels, remain an integral part of the process of education and development of young people, especially emerging leaders in our society. Adopting fair and inclusive participation practices will allow school and athletics leaders to fulfill their commitment to create an environment in which all students can thrive, develop their full potential, and learn how to interact with persons from diverse groups.”
USOPC, IOC and fie Position
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee
The USOPC espoused principles of fairness at all levels of sport, and emphasized the need for science-based decision making. The USOPC leaves the formulation and implementation of transgender policy to the individual sports governing bodies.
The USOPC said that “While the science is advancing, and until it can offer us clearer guidance, we must do our best work to ensure fairness. In that light, the USOPC supports the 2021 IOC guidance for elite sport and its recognition that rules protecting fairness must be implemented by each individual International Sport Federation.”
Read the USOPC Position Statement HERE
International Olympic Council
The IOC states that it is up to the individual sports and their national governing bodies to determine policy on transgender athletes. The IOC made it clear that it was not in a position to issue regulations to determine eligibility across every sport, discipline or across different national jurisdictions and sports systems.
The IOC issued a framework within which sports governing bodies could develop policy relating to the participation of transgender athletes in Olympic sports.
The framework includes the following principles:
inclusion
prevention of harm
non-discrimination
fairness
no presumption of advantage
evidence-based approach
primacy of health and bodily autonomy
stakeholder-centered approach
right to privacy
periodic reviews
Read the IOC Position HERE
FIE Position
We could not find a policy on transgender athletes on the FIE website.