U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) has released an interim eligibility policy outlining new guidelines for participation in men’s and women’s categories, specifically updating the rules regarding transgender participation.
Previously, USMS allowed “transgender swimmers to participate in the gender competition category in which they identify,” something that was called into question last month as the Texas Attorney General launched an investigation into the participation of a transgender swimmer at the USMS Spring Nationals in April.
The new interim policy is modeled after “applicable parts” of the World Aquatics Policy on eligibility for participation in men’s and women’s categories.
The policy allows members to register for the competition category that aligns with their identity, but for competition purposes (being part of the USMS “Recognition Programs”), athletes will not be included unless they are swimming in the competition category that aligns with their sex assigned at birth.
USMS “Recognition Programs” are competitive awards and rankings offered within USMS. Examples include: USMS records, Top 10, All-American, placing and scoring of points at all sanctioned events, and all similar LMSC-level competitive recognition programs.
Swimmers who opt to swim in a category that does not align with their sex at birth won’t be eligible for Recognition Programs, but their results will stay in the USMS database.
Official Eligibility Rules For Recognition Programs
- Eligibility for Recognition Programs in the Men’s Category
- Members of the Male Sex, members who identify as male (i.e., transgender men), and members with 46 XY DSD are eligible for Recognition Programs in the men’s category, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression.
- Eligibility for Recognition Programs in the Women’s Category
- Members of the Female Sex are eligible for Recognition Programs in the women’s category, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression.
- Members with 46 XY DSD whose gender identity or gender expression is female are eligible for Recognition Programs in the women’s category if they can establish to USMS’s comfortable satisfaction that their sex assigned at birth is female.
USMS adds that the policy will not determine the eligibility of members to compete in World Aquatics competitions, and, “for the avoidance of doubt, World Aquatics Policies supersede USMS policy for World Aquatics records, World Aquatics events, and World Aquatics Top 10 recognition.”
“USMS will continue to align with applicable World Aquatics Policy and will evaluate adjustments to the policy and associated procedures when World Aquatics Policy is amended or when additional information on transgender, non-binary, and DSD participation evolves,” the organization wrote in its interim policy.
You can read the full policy here.
One transgender swimmer who had been competing in USMS competitions told SwimSwam: “By making a rule that prohibits postoperative male to female transgender swimmers from competing in the female category, USMS has essentially told its fully transitioned transgender swimmers—’you are an unofficial woman—here’s a section of the bus for you’ when we were seamlessly competing in USMS without a discernible advantage before they did this.”
Moving forward, if USMS plans on creating an ‘open’ division like World Aquatics has experimented with, the swimmer said there needs to be rules there, too.
“If USMS plans to allow an Open/Non-Binary Division in its National meets and to offer this to post-operative transgender people (male to female), then this division must include testosterone testing for all who enter it, or it won’t be fair,” they said. “Some transgender people (male to female) choose not to undergo surgery or take feminizing hormones. If such a swimmer were to compete in an open division, it would be unfair to post-operative transgender people who basically have no testosterone.”
I’m a female swimmer and also a trans woman (MtF), please let me add this to this discussion. The unfair policies being referenced here towards trans and non-binary (NB) people are born of rumors and misinformation. For example, rumors like trans women have an un-fair “advantage” over cis-women. It’s a flawed argument if you look at what the data from today’s medical experts say; globally, as in WPATH. Plz look it up. If you’re still not convinced by a global panel of 200+ physicians, then I’ll go so far as to share my experience with full details below**. To summarize – I don’t have an advantage. If there really was to transitioning, then more people would be doing it. We… Read more »
Every cis person who is against trans people in sports needs to transition themselves, they need to feel how harsh people are to trans people.
I am a trans masters swimmer, and I am going to be brave and jump in here. For transparency, I am trans non-binary (assigned female at birth), and take low dose testosterone for gender affirming care.
Based on this policy, I can’t actually figure out what category I am “supposed” to be swimming in. Is it female? (Since I am “biologically” female? – As an aside, intersex people exist and science does not support the biological gender argument). Or is it male, even though I am not a trans man, am smaller and not as strong as most men, and although I take testosterone, will never be able to build the muscle and build that people who have had… Read more »
I’m a trans swimmer too, ftm and have swam in US Masters for 13 years. I have competed as a man the entire time and a vast majority of that time I never met another trans swimmer. Recently, I’ve met a handful of trans people. In that entire time, which shows what little “threat” we are. Basically, I never told anyone but my teammates. I’ve been registered as a man this entire time. US Masters had literally no business knowing what’s inside my speedo. Why would I want them to know? Why does anyone need to know. I pay my dues, go to meets, workout with my team, and am a good representative of the organization at meets. On deck… Read more »
While I am happy that USMS made an attempt at an inclusive & fair policy, there are still many pieces that need clarification. It sounds like a woman taking testosterone to identify as a man can still compete in the women’s category. That opens Pandora’s box of PEDs and leads to a need for a anti-doping policy. USMS needs to take a look at Swim England and WA transgender/antidoping policy and see if their policy is one we should emulate.
I also noticed the lack of opinion of a woman in this article. All too often when we speak of trans rights, inclusivity and fairness, women are silenced or not asked their opinion. This article quotes a transgender athlete… Read more »
Many women wrote to USMS in the aftermath of the San Antonio meet. The idea that USMS wants to be inclusive is fine except it is on the verge of excluding the legitimacy of the cisfemale population. Somehow the percentage of competitive swimmers verses the folks who do not compete has become an issue. How I do not know. The founders of USMS an intelligent and competitive bunch would have something to say.
Unfortunately many men do not grasp the problem. When Lance Armstrong wanted to swim that notion was successfully blocked with the help of men and women.
Why is a politician from Texas who is not a swimmer determining policy? It should be a vote at the very least? Or some sort of questionnaire going out or a focus group? But definitely not people who don’t swim and definitely not AGs from Texas or any state.
Many women = a crusade by a single woman who got second place and got her feelings hurt.
Fairness, equality, and inclusivity for all women does not decrease the amount of fairness for cis-women. This is not a pie chart, and so giving equal rights to trans-women does not take away those of cis-women Cis-women are not at a disadvantage competing with trans-women.
It’s just not that hard.
In USMS you compete in the category of you BIOLOGICAL AGE
We don’t allow fresh-off-the Olympic-team 24 year olds to compete in the 60 year old age group, win medals and set USMS world records, even if the “feel” that ‘ mature’.
Just like we don’t let them go to age group meets and kick the crap out of 8 year olds and break NAG records because they “feel” young.
Why? (Amazed we really even have to answer this)
Because it’s biologically FALSE, and patently UNFAIR.
It doesn’t matter if you “feel” like a giraffe, “identify” as one, are “comfortable” with a long neck, or just want to “participate” with… Read more »
Thank you, Riley’s Right. Let’s also cancel co-ed recreational sports, let’s start seeding heats by age group, and let’s start testing for performance enhancing drugs at masters meets. After all, we want fairness!
False argument. Coed recreational sports are team sports, not individual sports pitting men against women. We allow coed swimming relays for that exact reason. We do not allow coed swimming relays to have four men and no women.
Seeding has zero to do with it. That does not determine how awards are given or how records are set. Age and sex do. I could care less if they test for peds. Go right ahead.
No matter what hollow arguments you made, it is never fair that a biological man competes against a biological female in a sport contingent on strength. No one seems to be arguing that our Olympians shouldn’t be going up against 10-year-olds at JOs. This… Read more »
What? We aren’t talking about giraffes. They can’t swim.
Giraffes aren’t good swimmers but they can swim…
Debatable. But the OP said
<<>>
This very tired and silly argument (comparing being trans to an animal/inanimate object) is a false equivalence. A deeply held internal sense of gender should not be compared to pretending to be a giraffe/cat/attack helicopter or whatever else. One is an animal/inanimate object and one is real. Trans people aren’t pretending to be another gender, they are the gender they are living as. I’ve seen memes, comments, full on articles about it and its a absolutely rude and kinda stupid comparison.
Nobody says that to cis people who conveniently enough “identify” and “believe” they are the same gender as sex they were assigned at birth.
They don’t care about respecting the trans community as human beings. They’ll compare them to animals, call them names, belittle and insult them at every turn, but they draw the line at treating trans people with dignity and respect.
I wish this didn’t happen. I some how thought this trans phobia wouldn’t hit an organization I’m so deeply a part of. Never read the comments basically. On Swimmers World one article was prolific calling Ana a man, putting her name in quotes, dead naming her, etc etc.
So by your own logic you think transmen should compete in the womens categories?
I would never advocate for women using performance enhancing drugs, which testosterone is for women, to compete against other women. Why would anyone ever assume that would be okay?
Why won’t you advocate for drug testing then?
If you want/expect trans women to swim with men bc of biology (lung capacity and size are often examples used) , then by the same argument you should want/expect trans men to swim with women, after all their body size and lung capacity are similar. So why do you say this?
Yes, they should as long as they have not taken any performance-enhancing drugs, like testosterone. This is the same rule under which transmen competed in the women’s category at the Olympics, with no pushback from any group.
The boxers and fencers did.
Hopefully they’ll sort out the other testosterone issue too. The one that no one talks about. The one that often gets shut down, just like anyone objecting to transgender swimmers used to get shut down. Female masters using menopause as an excuse to take testosterone.
It happens. It’s not fair sport.
That’s news to me..jiminy.
Why is the US Government driving policy of a private organization? It was fine before. I don’t see why it needed to be changed.
This. Pretty silly an AG got involved at all. Government overreach. And on what grounds?
This feels right. Is there one flaw with this stance?
It excludes trans women.