In recent years, there has been an incursion of men and boys into women’s and girls’ sports on the basis of so-called “gender identity,” a linguistic mechanism by which men and  boys claim the identity of women and girls. This claim has no basis in observable material reality, and has resulted in such horrifying absurdities as a man repeatedly punching a woman in her face at the 2024 Olympics, and two men competing as finalists in a UK women’s pool championship.

The provision of single-sex sports is necessary if women and girls are to have opportunities that are on a par with those of men and boys. As Eric Vilain, a professor of human genetics at UCLA and consultant to the IOC medical commission has noted, “We separate men and women into categories because we want women to be able to win some competitions.  There is a 10% to 12% difference between male and female athletic performance.” Significant differences in the average bone density, heart size, lung volume, hemoglobin levels, and muscle development of men and women, among other physical differences, result in men being able to generate higher speed and power during physical activity. Even after two years of testosterone  suppression, males retain physical advantage over females, especially when it comes to speed.

If sex segregation in sports continues to be eroded, more and more women and girls will lose their spots on teams and podiums to males. This is in direct opposition to Title IX, as well as common sense and the principles of fairness in athletic competitions. It is fairness – a level playing field – that must prevail over arguments about the inclusion of males as females, if women’s and girls’ sports are to exist as legitimate competitions.