How was the creation and implementation of USA Climbing’s original Transgender Athlete
Participation Policy Harmful?
USA Climbing’s Original TAP Policy
“Anyone can now accuse you (or your minor climber) of “being trans,” which triggers a medical review. Potentially ending that climbers season.”
USADA TUE’s
USA Climbing had expected to require every athlete on an international track to hand in a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for all medication or otherwise body-altering substances, per the rules of USADA and WADA. This, demonstrably, has not historically been explained in the USAC rulebook for any other medical condition or diagnosis despite the USAC's ability to request this of any climber at any time. USA Climbing also failed to demonstrate their ability to maintain confidential health records for any athletes. To understand the true extent of these policies requires a familiarity with the USADA TUEs.
Fairness:
In terms of fairness and equality, if all climbers who are known to be, or suspected to be, transgender would be expected to comply with these rules – so, too, would every climber known/suspected to be using other medications including inhalers, stimulants for ADHD, pain medications, and other routine/randomized drug testing.
Similarly, with these rules enacted, any climber competing on an international track would be subject to being accused of taking any banned or controlled substance by any other climber. This would mean that someone may experience anything ranging from outing someone as trans to outing someone who has a prescription for stimulants to outing someone who is recreationally smoking cannabis – then having to prove to USAC's Medical Panel this is not the case in order to keep competing, as well as be subject to a drug test.
Impact to all:
In short, regardless of your sex or gender identity, Anyone can now accuse you (or your minor climber) of “being trans,” which triggers a medical review. Potentially ending that climbers season.
To further understand how USA Climbing’s policies are harmful to trans climbers requires context, a familiarity with gender dysphoria, and compassion to the lived experience of trans and nonbinary people is required. To better explain how each part of USA Climbing’s original TAP policy was harmful to trans athletes, it is important to look at a few ways that trans people experience discrimination, discomfort, and transphobia in our everyday lives.
Justifying our existence - Whether it’s to acquire gender affirming care, to get our coworkers to use our correct pronouns, to have the ability use the bathroom, or to explain to our loved ones why we are transitioning; trans and nonbinary people are constantly being asked to justify their existence. It is a consistently frustrating and often painful part of being trans in the world today. The way we are expected to justify the validity of our experience is unlike many other forms of discrimination faced by other people.
Disclosure of private information - Invasive questions about private information or decisions are a consistently tiring part of being trans. Without knowing someone personally, asking for information that isn’t necessary is inappropriate. (Specific to USA Climbing’s policy, most of the information being asked for in this context is irrelevant to a person’s climbing ability.) In other words the world feels an entitlement to information about our bodies and experiences.
Misunderstanding or Ignoring our experience - What is often missing when discussing trans inclusion in communities is the unique ways that being trans is different, often more difficult. Policies lacking context for the emotional and physiological impact of gender dysphoria, suicidality, and transphobic discrimination will lack the necessary perspective for how to include trans people in any space or conversation. And much of the time, policy that impacts trans people is implemented without listening to our perspectives.
Ignorance to the impacts of dysphoria - Of the many ways the trans experience is misunderstood, the impact of gender dysphoria is among the greatest. To ignore the ways gender dysphoria can be an ever-present part of an athletes experience is reductive of our experience as athletes. Skipping or changing workouts due to body image, struggling with the perception of one’s self while climbing, and grappling with the perception of others are all ways in which trans climbers face unique challenges in competition climbing that are almost always overlooked and ignored in the creation of trans participation policies.
USA Climbing’s Policy Requirements and Their Impact
Medical Privacy
USA Climbing is not a HIPAA compliant entity and does not have any of the adequate systems in place to keep the medical or personal information they are requiring safe. USA Climbing has a history of allowing information about trans athletes to leak, causing harassment to families and athletes. Without a system in place to keep this information safe, USA Climbing is risking the privacy and confidentiality (and therefore safety) of trans climbers.
Requirement for a “A psychological record and/or consultation notes establishing the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria made by a psychiatrist or psychologist…”
This requirement does not address or ensure fairness. Instead it supports the pervasive and transphobic notion that trans people don’t or can’t understand or the validity of our own identity by asking us to provide records of our gender dysphoria to strangers. It also does not give any information which would helps someone determine how our treatment may connects to our climbing. A psychological record is an otherwise confidential document that USA Climbing has no right to ask for.
“A letter written by the athlete describing their personal experience and decision to undergo their medical transition.”
Not only is this requirement asking for private information and asking for trans athletes to justify the validity of their identity, it also requires revisiting what may be traumatic experiences. Consider these two realities: Gender-affirming care is considered a life-saving treatment for gender dysphoria. 80% of trans people have considered ending their own life. Asking trans athletes to describe their personal experience and decision to undergo medical transition may very well mean asking them to explain why they chose to do something that prevented the end of their life.
Photo: Hudson Boulders
Misrepresenting Existing Scientific Evidence
In their announcement, USA Climbing stated “The topic of transgender athlete participation has been studied and debated extensively by national and international sports organizations in recent years.”
This is patently untrue. The impacts of hormone replacement therapy on physical ability has been studied in very limited ways and never in the context of competition standards or while accounting for the ways a trans experience can impact performance. In the creation of their policy, USA Climbing was given studies and evidence which demonstrated this and ignored it. For more on this topic, visit our Misinformation about Trans Athletes page.
“A statement from the treating physician detailing an ongoing treatment plan.” and a “Complete record of all prescriptions related to the diagnosis.”
Similar to the requirement of a psychological assessment, ongoing treatment plans and prescription information is confidential between a patient and their doctor. To ask trans athletes to share this information is inappropriate. Additionally, knowing what someone’s treatment plans for their medical transition is irrelevant to whether an athlete is currently able to compete in fair conditions.
Potential for Parental Loss of Custody
Policies that can lead to outing kids have a potential of causing that child to be removed from their families. In 5 states, if a minor is identified as trans it can trigger that state's Department of Children and Families or Child Protective Services to investigate the family and remove the child from their care despite them not being in their home state at the time. USAC has a history of mishandling the private information of trans athletes leading to the direct harassment of children and families.
Ignoring Community & Trans Voices
In their announcement, USA Climbing stated their decision came “After consultation with various USA Climbing stakeholders…and thoughtful discussions among the Board and staff, the USA Climbing Board of Directors.”
This is a lie. USA Climbing did not gain the approval of any of their committees, ignored trans and nonbinary voices, were not open to discussion on the topic, and consulted a very limited pool of individuals in their decision. No broad ask of the community of athletes, parents, or coaches was made.
Reliance on Testosterone Levels in Determining Gender Categories
While a point of nuanced understanding of gender, it must be stated that when athletic institutions use a static measure of testosterone levels for determining gender categorization, it perpetuates a harmful narrative that is used against trans people. That we cannot be who we say we are because of our biology. When you determine gender categorization with a static testosterone level, you are saying that in the eyes of your organization, someone cannot categorically be who they are because of hormone level. Not only is this harmful, it is also pointedly inaccurate as cis women can have naturally occurring testosterone levels above those allowed for trans women in sports (and this is allowed in female categories).
