Heaven forbid...

[TitanTiger 20,708]

...we tell people some things are right and others are wrong. Might hurt feelings and all that crap. I suppose it makes me intolerant and a bigot for believing that people should stay the sex they are born and no matter what equipment they have lopped off or sown on, they are what they were born originally. I know God is a patient, long-suffering being. But at what point does He decide He's had enough of our shenanigans?

Committee Clears Transsexuals for Olympics

Monday, May 17, 2004

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Transsexuals were cleared Monday to compete in the Olympics (search) for the first time.

Under a proposal approved by the IOC executive board, athletes who have undergone sex-change surgery will be eligible for the Olympics if their new gender has been legally recognized and they have gone through a minimum two-year period of postoperative hormone therapy.

The decision, which covers both male-to-female and female-to-male cases, goes into effect starting with the Athens Olympics in August.

The IOC had put off a decision in February, saying more time was needed to consider all the medical issues.

Some members had been concerned whether male-to-female transsexuals would have physical advantages competing against women.

Men have higher levels of testosterone and greater muscle-to-fat ratio and heart and lung capacity. However, doctors say, testosterone levels and muscle mass drop after hormone therapy and sex-change surgery (search).

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said the situation of transsexuals competing in high-level sports was "rare but becoming more common."

IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch said no specific sports had been singled out by the ruling.

"Any sport may be touched by this problem," he said. "Until now, we didn't have any rules or regulations. We needed to establish some sort of policy."

Until 1999, the IOC conducted gender verification tests at the Olympics but the screenings were dropped before the 2000 Sydney Games.

One of the best known cases of transsexuals in sports involves Renee Richards, formerly Richard Raskind, who played on the women's tennis tour in the 1970s.

In March, Australia's Mianne Bagger (search) became the first transsexual to play in a pro golf tournament.

Michelle Dumaresq, formerly Michael, has competed in mountain bike racing for Canada.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120175,00.html

[Tigermike 3,425]

Some of those Russian & East German women looked pretty masculine back in the 70's & 80's.

[WarTim 3,463]

Then she married bill clinton and became a senator!