Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge physical advantage that transition does not mitigate. The U.S. women's team, including Rapinoe, famously lost 5-2 to an under-15 FC Dallas boys team in an informal training match in 2017. In much of the world, trans people are just lucky to stay alive. LGBT advocates say the debate over transgender inclusion in women's sport has also made for an increasingly hostile environment for gender diverse people in North America. According to LGBT website Outsports, a record of at least 87 out players will compete at the World Cup, more than double the 38 who played in the 2019 version.

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Persons: Megan Rapinoe, Martina Navratilova, Rapinoe, Navratilova, Sue Bird, Joanna Harper, Nilla Fischer, Barbra Banda, Quinn, Sarah Gregorius, FIFPRO, You've, Lori Ewing, Nick Mulvenney, Michael Perry Organizations: Athletics, Aquatics, FIFA, trailblazer, WNBA, FC Dallas boys, Reuters, Equatorial, Zambia, Nations, Canada, Toronto Star, England, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Canadian, Equatorial Guinea, North America, Tokyo