CrossFit has responded to a transgender woman suing the exercise outfit for not letting her compete in the 2013 CrossFit Games by divulging that she competed, poorly, with women before divulging her previous history as a man.
According to TMZ Sports, Chloie Johnson, who was blocked from the competition after CrossFit discovered that Chloie was born male, filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Johnson asks for $2.5 million in damages. CrossFit contends that they made their decision based on scientific evidence that demonstrates that naturally-born males have a superior physical advantage to naturally-born women.
In a letter to Johnson from CrossFit’s general counsel, Dale Saran explained that since Chloie was born a male she needs to compete in the Men’s Division. According to the Advocate, Saran further expressed that by virtue of the fact that Chloie has a Y chromosome she has been dealt a physical advantage.
The Advocate reported that some experts do not believe that the extra chromosome provides an advantage. Additionally, they argue that the vigorous hormonal therapy that transgenders undergo levels the playing field in terms of stamina and muscle mass and in some cases could put them at a physical disadvantage.
Nevertheless, the CrossFit letter contends that, “The fundamental, ineluctable fact is that a male competitor who has a sex reassignment procedure still has a genetic makeup that confers a physical and physiological advantage over women…. Our decision has nothing to do with ‘ignorance’ or being bigots–it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school.”
CrossFit competitors are known to be a committed and cultish bunch who workout to the point of vomiting. The fitness movement relies on grueling workout routines, usually named after people, that rely on sports-oriented weightlifting (as opposed to bodybuilding) and explosive exercises to achieve a well-rounded athleticism. One ex-Army Ranger exemplifies the extreme mentality: “I see pushing my body to the point where the muscles destroy themselves as a huge benefit of CrossFit.”