Jenna Talackova was born a man. She began the process of becoming a woman at age 14 with hormone treatments and then had surgery at the age of 19.
“I have always dreamed of being in the Miss Universe competition and having an opportunity to represent my country, Canada,” said the 23-year-old beauty contestant. “I was told by representatives of the Miss Universe Canada Pageant that I could not compete because a rule stated that I had to be a naturally born woman,” she said.
The Miss Universe Pageant is owned by Donald Trump who, after much attention, changed his mind and said Talackova could compete. But, Talackova’s attorney Gloria Allred says, she and her client want the “naturally born” rule eliminated.
There are some pageants specifically for transgender women and transvestites, but Talackova wants to compete in mainstream pageants. Allred said allowing Talackova to compete but not changing the “naturally born” rule doesn't address the problem.
That rule has already been dropped from most sports from high school to the Olympics. Transgender people can compete in high school, college, the Olympics and the LPGA. The NCAA amended its transgender policy just last year.
“We met with several of our committees that deal with some of these issues and the main policy issues had to do with mixed team status and had to do with the use of banned substances - testosterone,” said Mary Wilfer, associate director of health and safety at the NCAA.
She said that after a year of testosterone suppression medication, a male becoming a female will lose a sufficient amount of male muscle-building strengths and other benefits of testosterone and therefore has no unfair advantage over other naturally born females when it comes to athletic competitions.
Nancy Hogshead-Makar is the senior director of advocacy for the Women’s Sports Foundation. The WSF was part of a group that helped form the transgender policies for the high school and college level.
“In high school it’s about gender identification. Whatever somebody says they are is what they get to participate in,” said Hogshead-Makar. The WSF took its policy for the NCAA from the International Olympic Committee’s policy that mandates that transgender women must be at least two years post-gender reassignment surgery in order to compete.
Another group that helped shape the NCAA’s policy is the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Shannon Minter, a transgender man, said it’s true that just because a woman was once a man, it does not make her a better or stronger athlete.
“There’s lots of women actually, transgender women now, who are competing in women’s sports. And you know, I will say that none of them are at the top of their field,” Minter said.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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lol @ fernace, careful now. I was attacked last night by *wolf god* for saying that very same thing! Believing in god but not religion i mean. Hellfire, brimstone, damnation, the whole 9 yards! Lmfao course as you can see, i didnt give a damn!
Thanks for the heads up, chrissy! I'm w/you though, & stand by my conviction! Also not afraid to speak my mind, but "wolf god", hmmm, does sound intimidating! Not!! Lmfao!!
Oh, bobcat (iah) that was You outside my window!? Lol, I'm sneaking a peak tonight!!
Low wage jobs for all. Some people want me to ask my wife if that's ok with women so I will.
I know everything about the economy. Jesus Christ told me.
Jesus and the holy ghost are wolf g*d's brother.
Lol.
@ chrissy n banasy, not to worry bout this childish stuff goin on here. Anyone thats been here for awhile can see through all this too. Just sorry you all seem to be singled out. Thoughts are with you today banasy and lee also.
@ chrissy n banasy, not to worry bout this childish stuff goin on here. Anyone thats been here for awhile can see through all this too. Just sorry you all seem to be singled out. Thoughts are with you today banasy and lee's family too.
Ty fernace and ron. And fernace you know who the ficticious wolf god is! And im surprised the two above shoving their beliefs at us are willing to live on earth with us mere mortals! Whatsa matta god didnt have a place for y all up there?
you look marvelous! dufus hijaker...military medical already has the taxpayers footing the transgender bills...that scandal is bigger than US GAO
you thhink Jenna Talackova does it missionarry style or just lays face down and takes it like a man?
that is not a pretty notion to ponder...
Jenna Talackova looks like bruce lee with a blonde wig on...
oh...brucie in bikini's...grrrrr...rrrrr!
Roflmmfao @ wimp! You got no idea how indomitable i can be! Plus enough is enough already! This bs with mary has gone on waaayy too freakin long. And banasy did nothing to deserve it. And if you cant be loyal to your friends than you dont deserve any!
@chrissy, this is the weirdest blog ever and it appears as though trolls and hijackers have gone rogue. I'm home and will catch up later.
you need a user handle...let's see:
copycat creep
duplicate dummie
grave reflections
identically opposite
triplicate copies only no originals
dupliciously honest
conterfeit's counter fits
concoted coocoo nuts
make-believe mockers
billy bogus and the hillbillies
fraudently and fabricated
phoney phooey
artifically pseudo
shamly affected and simulated
not an a55 just artificially assumed
fraudulently sofa king invented
spoofing bluffer
@ ?mmmm? see how much fun that is when someone uses your U/N and mocks you? Not much is it? Its gettin old real quick, and i dont understand first, why CNN lets it continue and 2nd, how the hell do they do it?
really im waitin for the next stage act:
secret service agents and the pros t!ts toots. i heard they're gonna be stateside tonight...