Chloie Jonsson, a personal trainer from Los Gatos, California filed a lawsuit against fitness program CrossFit for refusing her to compete in the woman’s division of the company’s annual strength competition. CrossFit’s reason: because Jonsson was born male.

According to CNN, the $2.5 million lawsuit filed by Jonsson last Thursday is charging CrossFit with “discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unfair competition.”

In her lawsuit, Jonsson, a transgender woman, says since her teenage years she identified herself as female. She takes female hormones and pursued sexual reassignment surgery in 2006. These two components comply with the state of California’s requirements in legally recognizing Jonsson as female.

However, CrossFit believes differently. In the same CNN story, the company’s lawyer stated in a letter provided by Jonsson’s attorney: “The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women.”

Although I agree it is unfair for other female athletes to compete with a male-born athlete, I believe CrossFit is not fully considering the biological process Jonsson went through in becoming female.

The male-to-female replacement process requires both anti-androgen and estrogen therapies. Anti-androgens prevent the production of testosterone, which is an androgen. Testosterone is the contributor to male characteristics such as larger muscles. Sexual reassignment surgery also removes, without going into detail, the male-specific components that are the primary producers of testosterone. In females, the ovaries produce testosterone, but in lower levels.

Since Jonsson pursued the reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy, her testosterone levels are more similar to a female-born person, if not lower.

CrossFit will only allow Jonsson to compete as a male, but her hormonal reassignment gives her a disadvantage in that division. With diminished testosterone levels, she is significantly weaker than male competitors. CrossFit’s requests conclude that not only can Jonsson not compete, but she does not fit in either division because she is transgender.

Jonsson’s attorney, Waukeen McCoy, has requested CrossFit abide by rules set forth by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2003. This decision known as the “Stockholm Consensus” allows transgendered athletes to compete under three conditions:

·         Surgical anatomical changes have been completed, including external genitalia changes and gonadectomy

·         Legal recognition of their assigned sex has been conferred by the appropriate official authorities

·         Hormonal therapy appropriate for the assigned sex has been administered in a verifiable manner and for a sufficient length of time to minimi(z)e gender-related advantages in sport competitions.

Reassignment surgery and hormone replacement is highly biologically extensive in gender transformation. CrossFit claims they are protecting the competition, but in fact they are discriminating transgender athletes. Due to their demands and lack of consideration, transgender athletes cannot successfully participate in their competitions without being at a disadvantage. What would be the point of even competing?

More importantly, CrossFit is asking her to categorize herself as a gender she does not identify as. Jonsson recognizes herself as female and pursued various biological alterations so that the rest of the world would too. It is evident to me and the IOC that Jonsson is in fact female and thus has a right to compete as one.