Xtra Explains: Trans girls and sports

Debunking some of the biggest myths around trans girls and fairness in sports

Are trans women really a threat to fairness in women’s sports? Where does the science stand on so-called “biological advantages”? And have trans women ever actually dominated sports in the way right-wing media seem to think they do?

There’s a lot of misinformation and outright fake news online about trans women and sports, and it’s influencing very real policy in places like Alberta right now. As part of our series Xtra Explains: Trans Youth, senior editor Mel Woods breaks down everything you need to know about trans girls and sports. 

Check out other explainers on topics like surgery, puberty blockers and social contagion theory on our website, YouTube channel and TikTok. And check out the full list of sources cited in Xtra Explains here.

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

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