In a stunning revelation that underscores the ongoing attack on women’s sports, a United Nations report has confirmed that nearly 900 medals have been taken from female athletes by transgender competitors. This alarming statistic, buried in a wide-ranging report titled “Violence against Women and Girls in Sports,” should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about the future of women’s athletics.
The report, presented to the UN General Assembly earlier this month, reveals that over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals to biological males competing in women’s sports. This is not just a fluke or a handful of isolated incidents—this is a widespread issue affecting women in 29 different sports.
While the report didn’t specify the exact events or time frame in which these losses occurred, the broader implications are clear. Policies that allow biological males, who have inherent physical advantages, to compete in female categories are erasing years of progress for women’s sports. The so-called “replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category” is nothing short of an assault on fairness.
Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls who authored the report, didn’t hold back in calling out the injustice. Alsalem emphasized that biological males have significant performance advantages, including higher strength and testosterone levels, which persist even after testosterone suppression treatments.
“Testosterone suppression,” Alsalem argued, “will not eliminate the set of comparative performance advantages they have already acquired.” She further highlighted that the testosterone levels deemed acceptable by sports federations are arbitrary and not based on evidence, thus unfairly tilting the playing field in favor of males who identify as female.
For years, conservative voices have warned that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports would destroy the integrity of female competition. This report now confirms those fears. Women and girls, who already face systemic challenges in sports—such as limited access to training facilities, pervasive sexism, and harmful stereotypes—are now being robbed of their opportunities to succeed on an even playing field.
Alsalem rightly called for stronger protections for women and girls in sports. Her recommendation? The creation of open categories where transgender athletes can compete without undermining the rights and achievements of female athletes. She also advocated for non-invasive, confidential sex screenings to ensure that fairness is upheld in women’s sports.
These findings come at a crucial time, as the debate over transgender participation in women’s sports intensifies ahead of key elections. In New York, for instance, opposition to the state’s proposed “Equal Rights Amendment,” which critics warn would allow biological males to compete against women, has gained traction. Billboards outside the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse boldly declare, “Vote No to ERASING Women,” as part of the campaign to defeat Proposition 1 on the November 5th ballot.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Allowing the continued erasure of women in sports is not progress—it’s a step backward for equality and fairness. Women fought for years to have a place in competitive sports, and now, under the guise of inclusivity, their hard-won gains are being dismantled.
It’s time to stand up for women’s sports. This isn’t about being anti-transgender—it’s about protecting the integrity of competition and ensuring that women have the opportunity to succeed on their own merits. If we don’t act now, future generations of female athletes will be left wondering why they never had the chance to shine.
