The world’s top chess federation has ruled that transgender women cannot compete in its official events for females until an assessment of gender change is made by its officials.

The world’s top chess federation has ruled that transgender women cannot compete in its official events for females until an assessment of gender change is made by its officials.

  • NewEnglandRedshirt@lemmy.world
    8120·
    11 months ago

    Wow. The argument against trans women in sports is already unscientific enough. Why is chess even split into gendered categories? This just makes zero sense.

    • binkster@lemm.ee
      301·
      11 months ago

      It is generally not, most tournaments anyone can enter. However, there are women-only tournaments because for a lot of social and historical reasons, men dominate the open tournaments.

      Interesting side-note fact on the power of social norms: if a woman and man play without knowing each other’s gender the woman will be more likely to win than she would if either party is made aware.

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
        153·
        11 months ago

        All the more reason to include trans and nonbinary people then. Blur the lines. Drag should also be encouraged.

          • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
            3·
            11 months ago

            Seriously, a lot of people would play better chess if they weren’t intimidated by their opponent. Unless you consider headology part of the game, the way it is in poker and Cripple-Mister-Onion.

    • dhork@lemmy.world
      2611·
      11 months ago

      There most certainly is evidence that going through male puberty can confer an advantage in some sports. Not all sports. If there are going to be restrictions placed, I would prefer they be placed by the sports’ governing body, who presumably understands how competition works in their sport, based on science.

      In this case, though, it seems to be based on social issues, as some others in this thread have pointed out. There are reasons why the womens-only tournaments were formed in the first place, and some feel that letting trans women in would undermine those reasons. We can’t just pretend those reasons don’t exist.

      Socially, I have no problem addressing trans women however they want to be addressed, or letting them use whatever bathroom they want. I would prefer to let the governing bodies of individual sports and activities decide what is most fair for all involved, using science. I think politicians should generally get their noses out of all of it, and leave people alone to discover who they are.

      • livus@kbin.social
        103·
        11 months ago

        using science

        I would love to see the “science” behind this FIDE decision though.

        • dhork@lemmy.world
          52·
          11 months ago

          The science here is a bit more roundabout. The women’s leagues appears to have been started in the first place (based on some of the other posters here) because males have more success at the highest levels than females. Everyone acknowledges that this gap shouldn’t exist, yet we still have it. So it’s not a scientific basis justifying the segregation, it’s that science can’t explain the outcomes, so the segregation was established to try and make the outcomes more equitable.

          Another poster asked whether trans women somehow need to “prove” that they’re oppressed to the same extent. And, ultimately, that might be what’s required, as absurd as it sounds. Because I think we legitimately don’t know whether this male advantage maps to all males, or just those born male.

          Maybe, once we establish some data from more trans women competing at the highest levels, we’ll be able to answer that. For now, they made a decision which basically turns the women’s leagues into cis-women’s leagues.

          • livus@kbin.social
            42·
            11 months ago

            So it’s not a scientific basis justifying the segregation, it’s that science can’t explain the outcomes,

            Biology can’t explain the outcomes (which historically meant women were less likely to compete successfully) but I bet sociology can.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
        63·
        11 months ago

        based on social issues,

        What issues?

        There are reasons

        What reasons?

        Prejudice is not a reason, and it’s not a valid social issue either.

      • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
        107·
        11 months ago

        There are reasons why the womens-only tournaments were formed in the first place, and some feel that letting trans women in would undermine those reasons. We can’t just pretend those reasons don’t exist.

        Yeah, sadly transphobic bigotry is real and we can’t just pretend it doesn’t exist, we have to fight against it, but there’s no legitimate reason for this

    • Lmaydev@programming.dev
      173·
      11 months ago

      I believe it’s done mainly to encourage women to play. More than any genetic differences like other sports.

      I feel like as it makes very little difference, so letting trans people play either doesn’t really matter.

      • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
        134·
        11 months ago

        Except it’s going to discourage AMAB women from playing, so that excuse for this bigoted policy doesn’t hold water