# How do sports leagues deal with transgender people **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sports-leagues-deal-with-transgender-people/616784 "2012-03-25T20:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sports-leagues-deal-with-transgender-people/616784/1 "2012-03-25T20:11:14Z")
Right. A man with a big bushy beard walks into the WNBA (I think that’s what it’s called) and says he wants to play. They say it’s a woman’s league. He says “A-ha, I am Transgender, and therefore a woman” They say “No, you have a penis” He says “No I don’t, I had the operation on Tuesday!!” I suppose in general, and inspired a little by the Olypmic situation from a while back, I am curious as to how transgender people are dealt with by sports organisations. I know that some roller derby teams have ex-men on them, and they judge by hormone levels (I heard this second hand), but how to most sports do it? Or do they just ignore the issue? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sports-leagues-deal-with-transgender-people/616784/2 "2012-03-25T20:32:11Z")
The only example i can think of offhand is Thailand’s [Nong Toom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nong_Thoom), aka Parinya Charoenphol, the inspiration for the film _Beautiful Boxer_. She fought as a Muay Thai fighter for several years to make money for her gender reassignment surgery, after which she retired. Since then she’s come out of retirement for several exhibition fights in which she’s fought both men and women. ETA: Oh, duh, forgot about tennis player [Renée Richards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards), who sucessfully sued the U.S. Tennis Association for the right to play as a woman in the U.S. Open. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sports-leagues-deal-with-transgender-people/616784/3 "2012-03-25T20:59:35Z")
The problem does not come up all that often, so there are no particular rules. I would expect that it would be determined on a case-by-case basis. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sports-leagues-deal-with-transgender-people/616784/4 "2012-03-26T03:46:15Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > The only example i can think of offhand is Thailand’s [Nong Toom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nong_Thoom), aka Parinya Charoenphol, the inspiration for the film _Beautiful Boxer_. She fought as a Muay Thai fighter for several years to make money for her gender reassignment surgery, after which she retired. Since then she’s come out of retirement for several exhibition fights in which she’s fought both men and women. > > ETA: Oh, duh, forgot about tennis player [Renée Richards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards), who sucessfully sued the U.S. Tennis Association for the right to play as a woman in the U.S. Open. There was a really crappy local film based on the true story of a team of transsexual volleyball players. _Iron Ladies_, I think it was called.