Reflection 1:

The feedback was incredibly helpful, and helped me polish up my essay and fix minor details
such as grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. After my peer edit group said they liked how
I wrote my essay, I decided to stick with this topic and keep the second draft the same. While
this is a controversial topic, I believe it really is something that needs to be talked about as its
becoming more popular and socially accepted. I personally believe there needs to be new laws
written pertaining to the transgender community, particularly targeting them during their
transition stage and after. I worry that some people may read this and perceive it as offensive
and sexist, but thats the last thing I want it to come across as. I really struggled with trying to
make this proposal as moderate as possible, with little bias. I believe it challenges me as a
writer to think about and argue for both sides, instead of writing from one point of view. Im not
sure if I wrote this correctly, but it was a good starting point and really gave me good ideas of
where I want to go with this paper.

Transition into Transgender Times

Before 30 years ago, the word transgender may have been foreign and unknown to the

public. It has only been recently that the idea of transgenderism has been explored and

pondered But what exactly does it mean to be transgender? The Merriam-Webster dictionary

defines it as, of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the

person had or was identified as having at birth. The idea of this may be confusing to those who

dont feel it, but it is hell to those who do.

Since the 2000s, celebrities are progressively coming out as transsexual, and it is also

the basis of some newer TV shows. This is normalizing the idea of transgenderism, which can

be looked at as controversial or progressive. RuPauls Drag Race is a popular show about

finding Americas next drag superstar, and its hosted by RuPaul, a famous drag queen. Other

well-known transgender celebrities include Laverne Cox, Chaz Bono, Amanda Lepore, and

Caitlyn Jenner. Caitlyn Jenner, formally known as Bruce Jenner, is one of the most popular

faces in the transgender community today. Before making her transition, she was one of the

most famous athletes in the world, winning an Olympic gold medal for the triathlon.

While its perfectly okay to be whoever or whatever one wants to be, there are some

issues that face the idea of transgenderism in todays society. One issue that particularly stands

out to me, is whether or not men in the process of transitioning, have already transitioned, or

women taking testosterone to transition to a man should be allowed to compete athletically

alongside women. Testosterone is a steroid hormone that stimulates development of male

secondary sexual characteristics. Basically, testosterone affects ones bone mass, fat

distribution, and most importantly, muscle size and strength. While testosterone is found

predominantly in men, small amounts are found in females also. 6-86 ng/dl are found in

women, while 270-1100 ng/dl are found in men.

That being said, scientific studies have proven that the very strongest women athletes

are just barely as strong as average male athletes. The top 75 percentile of female athletes are
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below the bottom 25 percentile of male athletes. Using real world examples, in sports, male
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collegiate shot put throwers throw a sixteen-pound ball, as opposed to their female counterparts

who throw an eight-pound ball. Womens basketball are 28.5 inches in circumference, and

mens basketball's are one inch larger than that at 29.5 inches. In the crossfit games, women

must do the same amount of sets as men, but women perform with less weight. For example,

men use 50 pound weights and women are required to use 30 pound weights. The last thing

Im trying to do is argue that men are superior in every way to women, and women cannot

compete with men. Do not get me wrong, women are fully capable of anything they decide to

set their minds too, but are not on the same level as men physically due to the chemicals in their

bodies.

At Trinity High School in Texas, junior Mack Beggs just won the 6A girls state wrestling

title, but there is one problem- Mack is a boy. Originally born a female, Beggs has been taking

testosterone for the past year in a half to transition into a male. This has caused uproar in the

community, and has even convinced one parent to file a lawsuit with the league that organizes

the sports for public schools. The argument in this situation is that since testosterone has been

taken by Beggs for a significant period of time, she should wrestle alongside boys. Beggs

wants to wrestle with boys, but according to Texas rules, boys can't compete against girls, and

students must compete as the gender marked on their birth certificate. Where should Beggs
wrestle? Its easy to argue both sides, considering hes much stronger than the average girl, but

weaker than the average male.

There are many other issues pertaining to transgenders and how the situation should be

handled, since its a rather new topic. Should there be new laws and rules written to

encompass the transgender community? This is an issue greater than just the UNCC

community, because it impacts not only the country, but the whole world as well. Is the

transgender community being brought to the spotlight means to start new legislation regarding

what they can and cant do? (just like how men cant play in womens leagues, etc)