If a poor boy has his puberty blocked ....

Slipped capital femoral epiphyses might put paid to the sportiness in some cases.

In my little football club, our A grade Under 13 girls got beaten by our B Grade Under 11 boys in a friendly. While puberty of course provides an unbeatable advantage for males, it is also the skeletal system- the narrower hips give huge advantage.

@NeighbourhoodWatchPotholeDivision

I get the feeling that the Jazz Jennings doctor sees the writing on the wall and is trying to get ahead of it.

Actually - not get ahead of it - trying to get the get-out -of-jail -free card.

You should definitely read this article by Abigail Shrier: Top Trans Doctors Blow the Whistle on the effects of interfering with puberty.

I agree with @BellaAmorosa, it would be a straightforward rule.amd then boys might not bother with the puberty blockers if they no for certain there will be no chance of competing as a female anyway.

This issue, and the chess case, both show the downside of focusing on male puberty, even though that can be the easiest thing to do. What we really want to be saying is "sex is immutable you wazzock". There are various reasons for segregating by sex - there are no reasons for segregating by an uncheckable internal sense of gender. Sometimes you have to use the (true!) argument that works, though.

It would be so much better if the sports governing bodies bit the bullet and dealt with all the flak now. No males in women's sport, no puberty-blocked males, no males with DSDs - not even CAIS. It's the only fair solution and it draws a line in a stable place. No need for reviews, working groups, etc. Nothing is going to change which will make that rule obsolete. Everyone knows where they stand.

There is at least one example of a puberty blocked male playing on women’s sports teams who clearly has an advantage. I just managed to hunt down the link:
https://twitter.com/coachblade/status/1545069826955026432?s=20&t=Z8_KXLownqP7xBL0xqbEiQ

So i don’t think it can safely be ignored and it is something sporting bodies are going to have to deal with - obviously this problem is going to get worse as more transed boys grow up.

I tend to think that the “no male puberty” rule is a temporary compromise between sanity and insanity, and eventually sanity will win out and the rule will become “no males.” But probably not without a fight.

Gender ideology begins where Margaret Thatcher & Section 28 left off.

Thank you for saying this, I think so too and the phrasing of thise words still point towards puberty being a choice.

And obesity.

I often imagine the outrage if it were Marjorie Taylor-Greene or Suella Braverman (both of whom I despise, incidentally) advocating that non gender-conforming, predominantly gay kids, should be sterilised.

Unbelievable that in this day and age we let toxic adults & medics near such young children to medicate away their bodies, fertility and future health.

I know 2 boys who have had puberty blockers from about 12. Now mid 20s, short, skinny, look like old men.

Boys actually have an advantage over girls in most sports, even pre-puberty, although it's small. But, as PPs say, it's unlikely to be relevant because boys will be so damaged by blockers, sadly.

I agree - saying no males who have been through puberty encourages vulnerable people to take medications that wouldn't otherwise be in their best interests.

It's highly unlikely that someone who spends their childhood worrying about gender will be able to keep up with kids who spend their time doing sports, but even if it's a non issue it should be legislated now before there's one and it gets personal.

I think it's intended to mean that primary school kids don't need to be so strict, but it would be kinder to manage expectations as soon as they start to transition. I saw an ice skater who will likely have these issues - set up to hate puberty, great parenting, who should have instead fought to wear a sparkly dress in the boy category.

Any child that has his puberty blocked will not be competing in any elite sporting events of any sex. They'll be more worried about brittle bones.

I don’t think boys who have had puberty blocked are going to be very sporty, sadly.

With all the medical complications and implications of not going through puberty means they won’t be competitive.