Comment by ben_w | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ben_w | Hacker News Reader

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None of those things are present during a border crossing, for which you want to "pass" a "port".

Also, the physical differences which matter to some sports (again, why is this in a passport, my passport doesn't say if I'm qualified to drive race cars or if I am allowed to possess* a rifle for shooting competitions) relate not simply to what's between your legs, but to the hormones which are merely correlated with that. The effect of such hormones is also why some trans people ask for puberty blockers, and in any case there's a significant black market for oestrogen and testosterone boosters.

And if you do care specifically about what's between people's legs, because you want to know how many urinals to install or something, then it should be fine to change the document (but again, why a passport?) as soon as genital surgery has been completed even in the absence of any impact of hormonal changes.

Most extreme contradiction of the "protect women's sports" talking point I've seen? As muscled-up as Dwayne Johnson or Schwarzenegger, bald, beard, no dick, identified female at birth.

* Outside the USA, we don't have or want the 2nd A, so yes a gun would need a licence.

> None of those things are present during a border crossing, for which you want to "pass" a "port".

> but again, why a passport?

Passport isn't only for crossing the border, but to identify for the whole duration of the visit. Travellers don't have national ID documents by definition, and the passport serves this purpose.

E.g. I don't know about your country, but if someone is travelling to my country, he or she is required to keep the passport in the pocket at all times and present to authorities on demand if s/he is stopped on street[1].

So when accessing women-only spaces, like applying for international sports tournaments held in other countries, this will be the document checked.

If you'd like an example involving border crossing, again I don't know much about your country, but if one attempts to cross the border of mine, one of the results might be that you'd be interned in a facility for illegal migrants that for some reason won't be getting political asylum, but can't be deported to the home country either. It would then matter if the person is a man or a woman. Just asking the person is not sufficient, because we can't just allow men to identify themselves into women's wing, as that would violate rights of the women kept there and not free to go elsewhere.

[1] this is contrary to citizens, who aren't generally required to have any ID on oneself, and can just say the name and number if stopped)

Passports also are for identification inside the country. You are not getting issued a local government ID after you "pass" "port", you keep using your passport.

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