Two feminine runners competing in a state highschool championship this weekend have come beneath assault as a result of folks imagine they’re transgender and subsequently might have an unfair benefit. However the science is way from clear as as to whether trans athletes are literally sooner or stronger than their cisgender friends, consultants say.

The proof is particularly murky for teen athletes, who could also be going by way of puberty or taking medicine to suppress hormones — actions that would enhance their efficiency or hinder it, or have little or no affect in any respect.

As the worldwide debate round transgender athletes’ participation in all ranges of sport ramps up — significantly in america, which is enduring a wave of anti-trans laws — a paucity of analysis on the topic makes it difficult to know precisely what’s at stake, say consultants in sports activities medication and gender biology.

However for younger athletes, equal entry to sports activities — which supply a slew of advantages, bodily, mentally and socially — outweighs any potential problems with unfairness, many consultants in youth sports activities say. That’s why California, together with a dozen different states, permits youngsters to take part within the gender class related to their id, with out query or restrictions.

“A very powerful factor is that everybody is handled equally and included, and has the chance to take part,” mentioned Shannon Minter, authorized director for the Nationwide Heart for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco, who has studied insurance policies for transgender athletes for 20 years. “That must be the overriding consideration in Okay-12 school-based sports activities.”

Solely a handful of small research exist that study whether or not transgender folks, particularly trans ladies, have an unfair benefit in sports activities primarily based on their biology. The primary examine, out of Loughborough College in the UK and printed in 2015, checked out performances for eight trans feminine athletes and located they have been about equally aggressive earlier than and after transitioning.

One other examine, additionally from Loughborough College and printed in 2021, discovered that for a number of key markers of athletic efficiency, trans feminine athletes on hormone remedy for a minimum of three months have been similar to cisgender athletes.

“It’s not unreasonable to recommend that in endurance efficiency, trans ladies who’re on hormone remedy might not have any vital benefits,” mentioned Joanna Harper, a doctoral pupil at Loughborough who was an creator on each research and is a transgender runner herself.

A lot of the main focus is on testosterone, the male hormone that floods boys’ our bodies throughout puberty and helps them develop muscle mass, and has different results that would enhance athletic efficiency. Many trans ladies — although positively not all — take medicine to suppress testosterone, and a few aggressive sports activities organizations require feminine athletes to fulfill sure hormone ranges to be able to take part.

That’s seemingly affordable, from a scientific perspective, for school sports activities and past, mentioned Harper. However that type of testing for highschool athletes is dicier, partly as a result of trans youth will not be taking hormone-suppressing medicine, and forcing them to as a requirement to play could be fallacious, she mentioned.

“The highschool factor, it’s actually, actually tough,” Harper mentioned. “There are highschool trans women who’re on hormone remedy, however they achieve this not due to sports activities, however as a result of it’s the correct time for them to go on hormone remedy.”

The general public backlash in opposition to the 2 runners competing within the California Interscholastic Federation championships Friday and Saturday hinges on assumptions that each athletes are transgender, primarily based partly on them having run on boys’ groups in earlier seasons.

However neither lady has recognized publicly as transgender, and it’s not recognized if they’re presently or have ever taken hormone-suppressing medicine. And so they shouldn’t must reveal that info, say consultants in sports activities medication and biology, together with trans rights advocates.

“The very best coverage could be to just accept all youngsters, let all youngsters take part, and never get into the doubtless very troubling area of requiring youngsters to undergo very invasive examinations and scrutiny,” Minter mentioned.

Minter and others additionally questioned whether or not problems with equity have been actually driving the conversations round trans athletes’ participation. “Transgender youngsters are lower than 1% of the inhabitants — there’s not been any indication of any systemic drawback,” Minter mentioned. “Most transgender youngsters enjoying sports activities are common, identical to most children are common.

“What’s taking place now will not be for essentially the most half about any legit considerations or questions,” he added. “It’s only a political concentrating on of a susceptible group. It’s not that issues have instantly arisen, it’s that it’s instantly turn into a political situation. And that’s actually tragic for these youngsters.”

Certainly, the assaults on the athletes taking part on this weekend’s state championships began partly as a result of some folks believed {that a} cisgender athlete who got here in fourth was upset about dropping to a presumed trans athlete, Athena Ryan, a highschool junior from Sonoma County who positioned second.

Some critics of Ryan’s participation famous her celebrating the accomplishment — together with a private finest time for the season — in an interview with Milesplit, which tracks pupil athlete performances. Simply after ending her qualifying race final weekend, Ryan thanked her coach and her father for giving her confidence, and mentioned she was excited to have run beneath 5 minutes for the 1,600 meters.

“I wasn’t anticipating that. I’ve dropped like 17 seconds on my season-best up to now two weeks,” Ryan mentioned, nonetheless out of breath from the race.

Ryan’s improved instances over the course of 1 season would don’t have anything to do with whether or not she is trans or not, Harper and different consultants mentioned. However they, together with different trans athletes, mentioned they weren’t stunned to see Ryan come beneath assault merely for doing properly and being pleased with it.

“As a trans particular person, it’s OK so that you can take part so long as you’re not profitable, however the second you turn into celebrated it turns into an issue and also you turn into a monster,” mentioned Navi Huskey, who skilled that firsthand throughout two seasons on the Lengthy Seaside Metropolis School basketball crew, at the same time as she took on the function mannequin mantle for different trans athletes. “It was like, be good, however then you definately’re being too good, in order that’s an issue.”

Attain Erin Allday: eallday@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @erinallday