I have avoided a subject that of interest to the transgender community since it has become one of those third rails of debate that almost instantly incur angry reactions. And that subject is the fairness of trans women competing in traditionally cis female sports. Today, however, I will risk that discussion and how it relates to a specific trans person on a personal level.

This is the story of Valentina Petrillo, an Italian trans woman who is competing in this year's Paralympics in Paris. Valentina is a sprinter and will be competing in the 200 and 400 meter events. Since she is visually impaired (Valentina suffers from Stargardt disease, a genetic condition that gradually leads to blindness), she runs with the aid of a sighted guide.

Valentina is 50 years old and it has been seven years since she came out to her then-wife and son. While this revelation apparently broke up their marriage, both ex-wife and son cheer for Valentina at her competitions.

But as you may suspect, not everyone is cheering for her.

"There was a backlash against Petrillo in Spain last year after she narrowly beat Spanish athlete Melani Berges to fourth place in the semifinal of the world championships, meaning that Berges didn’t qualify for the final and so missed out on the chance of making it to the Paralympics."

"Berges called it an “injustice,” telling Spanish sports site Relevo that while she “accepts and respects” transgender people, “we are no longer talking about daily life, we are talking about sport, which requires strength, a physique.”

Valentina is cognizant of the controversy surrounding her competing against cis women and she has even considered the argument from the other side.

"'I have asked myself ‘But Valentina, if you were a biological woman and you saw a Valentina racing with you, what would you think?’ And I responded to myself that I would also have some doubts,' she said. 'But then through my experiences and what I learned I can state clearly … that it doesn’t mean that because I was born a man that I will be stronger than a woman.'”

But while the crux of the argument against trans women competing against cis women centers on fairness, the fairness of the transgender woman's right to compete is rarely invoked.

And according to this article on the ABC News site cited throughout this post, being on hormones may actually work AGAINST the trans woman.

"Petrillo referred to a study funded by the IOC — and published in April in the British Journal of Sports Medicine — showing that transgender women were actually at a physical disadvantage compared to cisgender women across several areas, including lung function and lower body strength."

This isn't a controversy that is going away any time soon. It has become one of those political footballs that is tossed around by politicians pandering for votes and by people who have no real skin in the game. But Valentina's story is a personal one; informed not just by her transgender identity, but by her physical impairment and the societal reactions of the people of her hometown Bologna. You may think that bearing the weight of all these crosses has crushed Valentina's spirit. Yet, the exact opposite is true.

"'Yes, I have problems with my vision, I’m partially sighted, I’m trans – and let’s say that's not the best in our Italy, being trans – but I am a happy person.'”

--- Anni