Starting in the new year, USA Boxing will allow male-born fighters to validate their “gender identities” and  compete against women. The move has generated significant backlash, with a number of women’s boxing stars slamming the decision.

USA Boxing — the national governing body for the sport and the Olympics — added a transgender policy to its rulebook that will allow biological males to compete against women.

Fighters will need to satisfy a number of requirements in order to compete. First, they must declare that their gender identity is female and be over the age of 18. They must also keep their testosterone below a certain level and must have completed “gender reassignment surgery” in order to qualify.

It is unclear how “gender reassignment surgery” is defined, though a significant percentage of transgender individuals do not end up going through with surgery.

“The purpose of this policy is to provide fairness and safety for all boxers,” USA Boxing explained in a statement.

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