Firestorm over U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s comments about female transgender athletes (read them here) showed some parents and players were concerned The idea that these athletes will dominate women’s sports is not going away.

At least 25 states Prohibit students from playing sports based on their gender identity rather than the sex assigned at birth. Here are some facts:

Only half a percent of all Americans and 1.4 percent of ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender by 2022 Williams Institute researchA think tank at the UCLA School of Law.

The share of transgender Americans playing sports is even smaller: More than 100 of the 500,000 athletes playing in the NCAA are not transgender. According to one researcher. Another guess puts the number around 40.

Justice: What makes the issue of transgender athletes so emotional is the issue of justice. Men are generally larger, stronger and faster than women, and these characteristics may give some transgender athletes advantages over those born female.

Lia Thomas (pictured above), for example, was a good but far from great male swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania before transferring. But in 2022 won the women’s 500-yard freestyle race At the NCAA championships.

But advocates say the justice issue belongs to transgender athletes; that it is not right to deny them the chance to participate in sports. Research shows that doing sports significant benefitsphysically, mentally, socially and academically.

What science tells us: Until adolescence little difference in athletic performance Researchers say this is the case between boys and girls. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says all children should be encouraged to play at this stage.

But after puberty, boys gain muscle mass and testosterone levels rise, giving them an advantage in sports that require size, speed or strength. Even after hormonal treatments to lower testosterone and increase estrogen, Trans women perform better According to research, those born female.

Some sports federations such as swimming, cycling and rugby Banning transgender women if they transition after puberty. In some sports such as tennis and triathlon, testosterone needs to be suppressed within certain limits.

But even among cisgender athletes, there are huge differences in skill and talent level; an average of 2.3 percent are considered “talented” or performing well above average. Report from Frontiers in Sports and Active Living0.5 percent to 0.6 percent of the population who identify as transgender.

However: Science is developing and More research is being done. For example, some researchers dispute this. Testosterone limits for female athletes considered unscientific.

Not all sports require size, speed and strength. For example, table tennis rewards quickness; Men don’t necessarily have an advantage.

Girls have also shown that they can compete with boys in some sports. 17-year-old Maddie Ripley beat three children This year he won the Maine state wrestling championship in one day at 113 pounds.

Sports and life: Players in every sport start with different abilities, and transgender athletes say their transitions are not intended to gain unfair advantages to win.

“I switched to be happy” Thomas told ESPN In 2022. “Being true to myself.”

PUNISHED: Massachusetts Air National Guard Jack D. Teixeira, convicted of leaking classified information in an internet chat group, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. (Boston Globe)

ANTISEMITISM IN MICHIGAN: Several masked men waving Nazi flags demonstrated outside the “Diary of Anne Frank” performance in Michigan’s Livingston County. (CNN)

‘CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE’: Archbishop of Canterbury John Welby, spiritual leader of the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion, has resigned over his handling of a sexual abuse scandal. (BBC)

CHURCH AND STATE: A federal judge blocked a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. (New York Times)

SOMEONE HAS TO DO THIS: It’s easy to joke when a restaurant reviewer has food poisoning. But they’re not that funny or true. (Boston Globe)

HOT FLASHES: Perimenopause, the turbulent period leading up to menopause, means night sweats, mood swings and memory loss. It entered popular culture “with the violence of a fiery flash” and women are no longer silent about it. (Washington Post)

STILL IN LARGE: Workers at a facility in South Carolina that raises monkeys for medical research are still searching for 13 of 43 monkeys that escaped from an Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee. (access point)

ALSO STILL BIG: A married father of three living in Wisconsin who faked drowning while fishing at a local lake, supposedly so he could get into Canada with a fake passport, fly to Europe, and hook up with a woman in Uzbekistan. (CNN)

READY FOR YOU TO CLOSE: Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are looking for extras with “different faces” for their movie shoot in Boston. (boston.com)

LATE, LATE FEES: An overdue book has been returned to the Worcester Library after 51 years. (GBH)

WORKING IS NOT ENOUGH: The latest trend in travel is ‘skills’, where people use their free time to improve their social and professional skills. (HuffPost)

TAKE A WALK: The expansion of airports means passengers sometimes have to walk a mile or more to get through security, reach gates and board connecting flights. (USA Today)

Appointments: US Senator Marco Rubio Preparing to become Florida Secretary of State (Policy) and Congressman Mike Waltz The Florida native, a former Green Beret, will be Trump’s national security adviser. It fits with Trump’s goal of reducing or eliminating support for Ukraine in its war with Russia (Top) … Fox News anchor Pete HegsethShe will be the U.S. Secretary of Defense and former Director of National Intelligence, who served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and does not believe women should serve in combat. John Ratcliffe will lead the CIA (AP via Globe)

Trump nominates US Representative. Elise StefanikRepublican from New York who went from detractor to staunch defender of Trump and became ambassador to the United Nations (CNN) … Former member of Parliament Lee Zeldin The New York native will head the Environmental Protection Agency, where Trump will implement Biden’s promises to gut rules on climate and air pollution, strip millions of dollars in funding for clean energy and decimate the agency. (Policy).

Also former ICE director Tom Homan He will be responsible for borders and deportations. Homan, a Heritage fellow and Project 2025 author, told the Republican national convention this summer that he had a message for undocumented immigrants: “Start packing, because you’re going home.” (Guard)… Stephen Miller, Trump’s top immigration adviser will become deputy chief of staff for policy. During Trump’s first term, he pushed for the separation of children in immigration detention centers and a travel ban targeting people from Muslim-majority countries. (CNN) … Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem He will head Homeland Security. He is best known for shooting and killing the family pet, a 14-month-old wire-haired pointer that Noem decided would not make a good hunting dog. (CNN).

Billionaire Elon Musk and biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek RamaswamyBoth will head a new Department of Government Efficiency, leading companies with existing, lucrative government contracts.ABC News) … Trump appoints former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee As Israel’s ambassador. Huckabee believes that the West Bank belongs to Israel, that there is “no such thing as Palestinians” and that there should be a “one-state solution” to the conflict in the region. (access point)

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s lawyers asked the judge who oversaw the case in Manhattan, which resulted in his conviction on 34 serious crimes, to dismiss the case because Trump is the president-elect. (Policy)

MYTH BREAKING: Writer Rogé Karma delved into the economic literature on immigration and hoped to find something. some negative effects on wages. But, as he told his colleague Jerusalem Demsas, the truth surprised him again and again: There is no economic justification for anti-immigration sentiment. (Atlantic)

GOING AGAINST TYPE: Exxon Mobil CEO says President-elect Donald Trump should keep the US in the Paris Climate Agreement. (Wall Street Magazine)

SKIP: Melania Trump is not expected to attend the traditional White House meeting with First Lady Jill Biden, sources familiar with her plans said. (CNN)

BLUE GAIN: U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, defeated Republican Kari Lake in the race for an open Senate seat in Arizona, according to the Associated Press. (NPR)

ELECTION INTERVENTIONS: The Supreme Court rejected former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’ attempt to move his Georgia election interference case from state court to federal court. (NBC News)

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Rob Gavin can be reached at [email protected].