Mackay trans woman weighs in on trans in sport debate, shares her story

‘I can run further, faster, I can fight longer’: Alexis says going through male puberty should block her from playing women-only sports.

A former navy diver and amateur MMA fighter who transitioned to a woman in her late 30s says she would have an unfair advantage playing sport against females.

Mackay woman Alexis Cook underwent sexual reassignment surgery late last year after living and training in a man’s body for almost 40 years.

The debate about trans women competing in female sports entered the Federal Election debate this month after a private member’s bill on the topic.

It exploded further when Australian Olympic champion Emma McKeon argued women were disadvantaged in competition with trans athletes.

“I actually fall on the side that if you are a trans woman who has gone on through a male puberty, you shouldn’t compete against women who have gone through female puberty,” Ms Cook said.

She said she herself had a greater lung capacity and chest strength than most cis women (a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth are the same).

“I can run further, faster, I can fight longer, things like that have nothing to do with the hormones you’re on,” she said.

“I would have an unfair advantage against women in a lot of competitive areas, but there are plenty of areas that require more finesse [that cis women have an advantage in].”

Mackay woman Alexis Cook weighs in on trans women in competing against cis women in sport. Picture: Contributed

But she said in future this could be different for trans women who had experienced a female puberty, a choice that was slowly becoming more acceptable.

Ms Cook said an open class for trans women who had gone through a male puberty would be a good idea.

As the nation prepares itself for the voting booth, Ms Cook said she believed there were more important issues to focus on.

“There are people going without food or shelter,” she said.

But she maintained trans issues in sports and healthcare were still important topics to discuss and deserved diplomatic attention.

Ms Cook knew who she was at four years old but, given it was the early 80s, she was “sharply disciplined” against it.

“I locked it away and got on with my life as a boy and then a man,” she said.

She launched herself into hypermasculinity hobbies and work, training as an amateur MMA fighter launching a career in the United States Navy and working in oil and gas drilling.

“The idea was to do as many blokey things as you can, to combat the desire to be feminine,” Ms Cook said.

A few years ago, Ms Cook was working as a diver off the coast of Cairns when her regulator partially broke.

“I was close to 30 metres in depth,” she said.

“I went to take a breath and inhaled salt water.”

As she went to press the button to purge her regulator, she felt her hand brush her teeth.

“It was frightening. I count myself lucky I had gone through U.S. navy dive school,” Ms Cook said.

Mackay woman Alexis Cook weighs in on trans women in competing against cis women in sport. Picture: Contributed

She was able find her second stage which was still partially together with some air free flowing and used it to ascend to the surface.

Coughing and spluttering, she rolled herself onto a boat where she puked salt water for 20 minutes.

She said her near-death experience brought up everything she had buried inside for the past three and a half decades.

“The trans thing came up straight away but it took two years for me to do anything,” Ms Cook said.

“I kept trying to lock it away. I knew it was a risk I would lose my partner.

“I went and got my pilot licence and picked up guitar, I hoped those things would be enough. But it wasn’t.”

At the beginning of 2021, Ms Cook began transitioning into the body she wanted.

She spent a year presenting as a woman, an experience she found dysphoric.

Mackay woman Alexis Cook weighs in on trans women in competing against cis women in sport. Picture: Contributed

“I know there is more acceptance for non-binary people today, but I guess I’m still in the older crowd of just boy or girl,” Ms Cook said.

“It was dysphoric for me, to be the ‘chick with a d--k’.

“If I’m going around town presenting as a woman, I wanted and needed to be a woman.”

In December 2021, Ms Cook was able to fly to Thailand where she had surgery to turn her body into the woman she felt inside.

Despite finally having the body she knew represented her, she said the transition had not been easy.

“It was difficult at first. My wife decided she was not okay with it anymore, she decided she wanted to separate,” Ms Cook said.

“It was hard for me, but it was obviously hard for her.”

Ms Cook said the decision to become herself had come at a price more than the $60,000 she paid for her surgeries.

“Because being trans, losing the things I’ve lost ... No sane person would choose to be trans,” she said

Almost all of Ms Cook’s family has written her off.

Ms Cook believes adequate funding for trans surgeries and hormones would not be a spending spree, it would simply improve mental health for a lot of Australians.

“That would be my argument, that trans treatment or care is not a luxury — there is not a whole of people running around wanting to be trans,” she said.

She said while the Greens party had the best of intentions in funding trans surgeries, she believed the cost estimations were too low.

Mackay woman Alexis Cook weighs in on trans women in competing against cis women in sport. Picture: Contributed

The veteran said the only reason she was able to get her surgery was because she was able to withdraw money from her superannuation for medical treatments.

“In the past few months I’ve been making steps to embrace and enjoy the body I should have always been in,” Ms Cook said.

“It’s been really nice, I’m being treated by most of the community as a woman now — seen and recognised as a woman.”

With the transgender debate burning through the federal election dividing political parties and voters, One Nation candidate Julie Hall, who is vying the seat of Dawson that covers Mackay, called for respectful discussion and cooler heads when asked about the issue.

“It is a very polarised discussion and I think we should remember first and foremost that we are talking about human beings here and let’s all remember to be respectful both in talking about it and to others who have a different opinion,” she said.

But she agrees with Dawn Fraser and Emma McKeon that separate competitions are needed to ensure fairness.

“I personally wouldn’t want to be racing against someone who is biologically a male, so that’s a concern.

“I do not believe trans women should compete in female sports at all,” she said.

“The issues (of fairness) could be solved by having their own transgender sporting class where all transgender could compete against each other.

“If you want to add another gender class then you add it across the board but we should not disadvantage and discriminate against those who are happy to identify with how they were born.”

“Men are generally physically bigger and stronger than women and that gives them an unfair advantage.”

On the issue of children transitioning to a different sex, Ms Hall said parents should have a say in the process.

“This should be a case-by-case decision and one where the parents who know the child should be able to have a say in the decision making,” she said.

“Research shows that 80 per cent of children do not carry on into adulthood identifying as transgender.

“I don’t have a problem with anyone identifying as different to me.

“I do feel however that this is being socially and politically popularised for the wrong reasons and I fear many young children and families may end up hurt and regretful in the end.”

Ms Hall she had two views on the issue of transition: one personal and one political.

“If I was a parent, I wouldn’t allow it,” she said.

“Politically, I still believe it comes down to a case-by-case basis.”

Greens candidate Paula Creen supports trans athletes in women’s sports and the ability of children to pursue transition.

“If we want to be a nation that celebrates and includes everyone, then everyone should be able to participate in sport, including trans and gender diverse people,” she said.

“The Greens are firmly committed to free, universal healthcare for everyone.

“Trans and gender diverse young people should be able to access holistic and affirming medical care, guided by themselves, their families and their medical specialists, without discrimination.”

Nationals contender Andrew Willcox said he believed “children should be left to be children”, but did not answer questions on whether he would vote on legislation prohibiting transition and gender reassignment procedures.

“I think women should compete against women in sport, and trans women should compete against trans women,” he said.

Labor’s Dawson candidate Shane Hamilton distanced himself from the issue, suggesting it was an LNP “in-fight” topic.

“We’re a party of acceptance for all people,” he said.

“We’re accepting of all people and they have the right to choose how they live.”

Originally published as Mackay trans woman weighs in on trans in sport debate, shares her story