Transgender Man Competes on Women’s Basketball Team at George Washington U.

Kye Allums, a member of George Washington University’s Division I women’s basketball program, is believed to be the first transgender man to compete openly on a college basketball team, The New York Times reports. Mr. Allums, who is biologically female but identifies as a male, is a junior at the university and last year started in 20 of 28 games. University officials said that the NCAA had cleared Mr. Allums to compete on the women’s team because he had not undergone any hormone treatments. An NCAA spokesman, meantime, told the Times that the association planned to review its policies on transgender athletes.

10 thoughts on “Transgender Man Competes on Women’s Basketball Team at George Washington U.”

  1. There’s no problem with this (I’m socially conservative by the way). This is a biological woman competing with biological women. Identifying as a man, does not change his physical development as a woman. Good for him! And good luck to the GW women’s hoops squad.

  2. There’s no problem with this (I’m socially moderate by the way). This is a biological woman competing with biological women. Identifying as a man, does not change his physical development as a woman. Good for him! And good luck to the GW women’s hoops squad.

  4. No worries dvacchi: it was a good point either way :)

    I agree. Unless Mr. Allums takes testosterone there is no reason for him not to play on the woman’s team. His chromosomes are still XX regardless of his psychological gender identification, and thus he is playing womens basketball in a woman’s body.

    If he takes testosterone, then I wouldn’t have a problem with him switching to the mens team . . . if he can make the cut. But he won’t be able to play womens anymore.

  5. What I don’t understand is “identifies as a man”? Is this “identification” achievable through mere words – or actions? Does “Mr” Allums undress, shower, and dress with the other women? Does he use the men’s (locker) room? If “s/he” id’s as a man, why not try out for the men’s team?

  6. What if I self-identify as a Naavi (the blue creatures in Avatar), or as a Klingon?
    As long as this person is a biological female, why do we call her a “he”?

  7. Because it is politcally correct to do so. The Naavi or Klingon observation is interesting, but could be dismissed due to the fact that Naavi and Klingons do not really exist. However, the point is well taken: If one can argue that a person’s biology can now be seen as being irrelevant to one’s gender or sexual identification, then why cannot it also be divorced from the concept of species? If I, being a man, can declare myself to be a woman, then what keeps me from “identifying myself” as a different species? Is that really any less ridiculous?

  9. My wife identifies as a Vulcan. She needs to have sex every seven years.

    Bud-a-bump!

    Thank you. I’ll be here all week.