Wait this? I was reading it as applying to members, not pre membership. If you're a currently competing member then yeah doping rules are usually get certification first then start. Is this definitely distinct and applied retroactively?

Yes, it's applied retroactively

And not only is it applied retroactively in most orgs, but many are now denying renewals of TUEs for trans men. Most of my endocrinologist's patients are now denied and I'm at risk of losing mine at the end of year as my sport org has changed the rules

Was there previously a TUE exemption for trans men? I might have misunderstood, I assumed this was already a requirement.

Never has been. That's why most trans men athletes stop competing after medical transition. They arent allowed to. The Wiki list of trans men athletes post transition isnt shorter than trans women cos we dont exist. It's cos we aren't allowed. Full stop

And these rules were established over 10 years ago when trans men weren't allowed T until adulthood. You start competing at this level as a teen. So we were first competing as our gender assigned at birth. Rules have never been updated for new realities

So you apply for the TUE at the same point you're planning to start T? Like it's a restrictive pain but there is a form to fill in to continue competing, you just have to do it before starting T if you're already competing? I don't see how any of that is different for under 18s.

Nope. You cant start until approved. And it's not as simple as filling out a form. You have to provide your entire medical history, psychiatric history, surgery history, deadname, bloodwork, and more.

You give all this to a panel of strangers who are likely going to deny you or revoke it a year later when you fail to have low T levels in the morning (which is impossible on therapeutic doses)

So this isn't a retroactive rule change? If people were previously allowed to complete without one then that becomes a perma ban that's a rug pull. But this reads like it's just the same TUE process that previously existed, which yeah bans people who can't get one. But it's possible to apply for?

I'm aware it's a barrier and an expense and a problem to get diagnosis and drs notes and shit for the TUE but that's a different thing to a complete ban.

1st, the point is, the policy has defacto banned trans men longer than bans on trans women cos of when historically have been allowed to start T 2nd, orgs rarely grant them even if jumping the hoops and are now denying them after previously granting them to said athlete. I'm currently facing this

3rd, the process is AWFUL! It is dehumanizing. And deters people from going through it

Yeah that's universally true of medicalised shit and it's awful, and it's definitely a huge deterrent

Ah okay second point is what I was missing here, they're hard to get even if you have diagnosis etc?

Exactly. And purposely so. They make the rules for getting one impossible to meet and if by chance you do get one, impossible to maintain without being forced to detransition

Like the first part obviously refers to current competitors because no one has an obligation to comply with wadas regs before joining a sport, is there any reason to think the second doesn't?

I'm telling you as a trans man athlete in a tested sport how it works