Where do you draw the line on biological men competing in women’s sports?

Olympic boxing sunk to a new low last week. An Algerian boxer with XY chromosomes – the ordinary definition of “male” – and commensurate male testosterone levels – beat up a woman in front of thousands of cheering spectators.

The woman who was beat up had to quit 46 seconds into the match, apparently with a broken nose. In tears, she said in her native Italian “not fair, not fair” and explained afterward that she’d “never been hit so hard in my life.”

The XY boxer was declared the winner. Yesterday, the XY boxer won again in a decision where all three judges favored the XY boxer in all three rounds – it was effectively a 9-0 decision – and is headed toward the finals as a clear favorite for the gold medal.

This XY person had previously been disqualified from competition by the International Boxing Association for having tested positive for XY chromosomes and testosterone levels well above the normal range for women – and within the normal range for men.

But the International Olympic Committee disregarded those tests in a feud between them and the IBA. The IOC says the XY has a passport with “female” checked on it, and that’s good enough for them.

The follow-the-science crowd was thus persuaded, ironically, not by a chromosome test or a testosterone test, but by the bureaucrats of the Algerian passport office.  

XY chromosomes result in male anatomy, including testicles. That’s where testosterone is produced. (Testosterone is also produced in female sex organs, but in miniscule levels compared to what’s produced in male testicles.)

Testosterone produces larger, denser muscles, and greater size and strength. This is seen throughout athletics, and is the reason that almost all competitions are divided between male and female competitors.

When men compete against women, the result is a gross mismatch. We saw this in college swimming a few years ago when a swimmer with XY chromosomes who was ranked about 460 in collegiate men’s swimming decided to compete as a woman, and immediately achieved a number one ranking in the women’s sport.

In boxing, the punching power of a male is over two and a half times that of a female. Even that does not tell the whole story. Men are naturally quicker, and so they can land a punch easier and dodge their opponents’ punches easier. Their facial and other bones are bigger, thicker and denser, so they can absorb a punch better. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a man boxing against a woman is like a man boxing against a boy.

What kind of man wants to win a medal by beating up a woman in front of a cheering crowd?

A bad man, that’s what kind. A man who is arguably a deviant, attention-seeking, woman-beating sadist.

So, where do you draw the line? The IOC is apparently saying that people with XY chromosomes and male testosterone levels can compete against women – so long as they pretend to be women (at least until they launch that first punch).

But why must they pretend to be women? Pretending to be a woman does not make a man into a woman any more than pretending to be a duck makes a person into a duck – no matter how much they look, act and quack like one.

This pretending encourages deceit. It says, “We’ll let you compete as a woman so long as you lie.” The IOC would at least be honest if they simply said, “You’re free to choose whether you compete in the men’s category or the women’s category. You don’t need to pretend by wearing make-up.”

Prominent athletes have condemned these spectacles between women and pretend-women, from gay tennis great Martina Navratilova to transsexual Caitlin Jenner who won gold as Bruce Jenner.

Like them, I don’t care about a person’s sexual “identity.” If they want to hold themselves out as a man when their chromosomes and testosterone says they’re a woman, or vice versa, that’s fine by me. I’ll even play along by using their “preferred pronouns” if that makes them feel good.

But Navratilova, Jenner and I draw a rational, science-based line that does sacrifice women’s athletics on the altar of political fashions. That line is this: People with male chromosomes and testosterone should not compete as women in women’s sports. The result is unfair to women and destructive to their sports.

We’re headed to a world where the only sports are male sports and transgender “female” sports. Women with XX chromosomes need not apply, because they cannot effectively compete against the XYs.  

It’s not only unfair and wrong; it’s dangerous. It’s only a matter of time until before a man kills a woman in the ring. The IOC will have that woman’s blood on their hands.