
Generally the justification is that after several years of hormone therapy, transgender women have equal or sometimes even less muscle mass than cisgender (meaning non-trans) women do. Hormone therapy is essentially a second puberty. It changes your body completely. Most transgender women are not getting the types of advantages people imagine they are in women’s sports.
This is not, in fact, a huge factor in athleticism. I would wager are many more differences among cis women athletes than between your average trans woman 2 years on HRT Bone structure is one thing, but muscles and even ligaments change in response to hormones, which affects frame a lot too. And you can’t say height, because tall women are selected for in things like basketball and volleyball, not banned.
I have both lived experience and unless either of you is a physician, kinesiologist, or endocrinologist, I am certain I have better scientific literacy than you. I genuinely am writing to you in between studying. You could easily be asking me questions or seeking to understand, and I’d be happy to converse. But as it stands, why would I take this conversation seriously if you’re not?
I’m tired of hearing about “chromosomes” and “DNA” and “hormones” from people who don’t understand it to the degree which is necessary to discuss it, its variations, and what impacts they should and do have, socially legally and medically. We have people arguing for “basic biology” who think women have an extra rib. It gets to a point.