Trying to Make Trans Women Athletes Disappear
The hew and cry of conservative politicians that trans women athletes will "ruin women's athletics" actually has another different agenda. It is to make trans people disappear. The same gang of Christian thugs was defeated on gay marriage. Now it thinks it has found some smaller venue where it can garner contributions and win votes.
There has yet to be any actual harm done to women's athletics. Perhaps the most harm to women's athletics is that women's programs get less money then men's. That never seems to come up.
Since there has been no actual harm done to women's athletics by trans athletes trans opponents had to come up with something. What they came up with is the argument that trans athletes have more testosterone than non trans female opponents. Two parts of this argument are questionable. The first is whether trans athletes always have more testosterone and second whether testosterone always make those athletes stronger.
Most of those who are transitioning to be men take testosterone blocker immediately when they have made the trans decision. The Olympics, which have huge amounts of money and importance in athletics, allows trans women to compete after they have been on blockers for two years.
Anti gays in one state said that doesn't matter. While a boy, before taking testosterone blockers, a child develops a male body and can defeat females they claim. There have been actual tests on trans athletes comparing them to life time females. It has been found that trans athletes lose their advantage soon after beginning program of blockers.
It also turns out that both non trans males and females have various levels of testosterone. Some males have less that the average of all females. Some females have most than some males. The role of testosterone in athletic ability and strength is inconsistent.
Allowing trans women to compete with non trans women has not ruined women's athletics in the Olympics. Looking at it objectively, there is no reason to believe it would ruin it at the high school or college level.
It is clever anti gay politics, however, to pretend this would happen. We have here another example of a myth driving politics. The goal is to discriminate against trans women.
I wonder if Jon can make an argument rather than just engage in name-calling. "... gang of Christian thugs", and "anti gays" are 2 groups of people I don't have any familiarity with. The second, "anti gays" may be certain Muslims who kill people for being homosexual. Somehow, I don't think Jon is thinking of those Muslims.
ReplyDeleteTo be sure, the objection to boys competing in girls sports comes from across the political spectrum although the push to have boys compete against girls is nearly an exclusive liberal position.
Jon falsely claims that "There has yet to be any actual harm done to women's athletics. " To that, I present Laurel Hubbard, CeCe Telfer, June Eastwood and Terry Miller. They are boys who beat girls in championships from high school to Olympics qualifying. They displaced women and girls who should have been crowned champions and should have been able to compete in the Olympics.
Has anyone denied these boys the opportunity to compete against boys? If competition is what they want, this is their avenue. If victories are what they want, then unfairly competing against females is apparently their goal.
If they seek to avoid ridicule, then they chose the wrong battle. The online comments and published stories of their victories are not complimentary. Some claim the state has caused irreparable damage to their mental and emotional states by being denied their so-called right to compete but they say nothing about of the ridicule they receive for beating girls. They can sue the state but they can't sue the millions who ridicule their so-called accomplishments.
Personally, I hope Democrats come around on this issue and fight for women's rights. If not, I hope they die on this issue at future elections.
As for anti-gay, I recommend reading Atheism Kills by Barak Lurie. Atheism has murdered more people through the centuries than any other philosophy, government or religion. Think of Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Voltaire, Castro, etc.
Matt -- "they displaced women who should have qualified..."
ReplyDeleteThis is not science. You talk of "should have." Do you mean "would have?" And, how do you know "would have." These examples have not "killed women's athletics."
If you weren't lazy you would research at least one of the men I referenced. You should research all 4. You would learn that each of those men beat a woman in a competition that the men had no business being in, as evidenced by the fact that they were men, not women. The women who finished behind them would be champions since they finished 2nd. How much more obvious do you need things spelled out for you?
DeleteMatt--We're tied at who is the most lazy. I'm not going to look up any of the four women you mentioned. You, I assume, will not be looking up scientific studies about this issue. I have to return to you your question, "How much more obvious do you need things spelled out for you?"
ReplyDeleteHere are some facts: 1.) Women defeat other women. 2.) Women's athletics has not been ruined. 3.) Myths about women athletes abound.4.) The issue is soaked in religion.
As to the latter I'll refer you to tennis star, Martina Navratilova. I recall sports writers and other women tennis players suggested she might be a male in disguise. Today she joins you in opposing trans tennis players.
I concede it is a complex issue. But, if we take away the rights of trans women to compete in sports religion will end up taking many other rights away from trans people.
I would concede this is not a simple issue. But, if we start down the road of discriminating against athletes we have thrown the door
..open for discrimination at every level. That's what the religious right wants.
ReplyDeleteYou're too blind to see that you are discriminating against every female athlete. All these so-called trans athletes were born boys and will forever be boys. They can compete against other boys. There is no discrimination.
DeleteMatt-- "All these so-called trans athletes were born boys and will forever be boys."
ReplyDeleteI know that's the Biblical view. It just does not conform to reality. I've discussed before my friends from Morris, MN. They had a baby. When the doctor came out he said, "Beautiful baby. Boy or girl, we'll need a few minutes to decide." Some days went by. Finally, the doctor said, "You have a beautiful girl. I need to have you authorize some surgery." Years went by. In puberty she decided she was a lesbian. Then later she decided she is a he. But damage had been done by the surgery. He lives in another state now but life has been tough for him.
Your simple, arrogant and judgmental views are so far from reality you can't see it from here.
"It just does not conform to reality."
ReplyDeleteReality is there are X chromosomes and Y chromosomes. For female athletes, there are X chromosomes. For male athletes, there are X and Y chromosomes. Reality is also that the new "females" (not necessarily X-X) are smashing all athletic records. For that matter, we could have a Michelle Phelps double his gold medal take, even at his current age. He just has to find the right doctor to give him a very small, minute quantity of hormone therapy for one year.
The left is afraid to give the biological females accommodation. They are not very brave. The right is willing to give the trans females accommodation. The right says they can compete in their birth gender/sex.
Accommodation for a swimmer without an arm does not mean the rest of the competition class should have one arm tied behind their back prior to competition. The burden for accommodation is not on the typical athlete. Neither should biological females be disadvantaged and burdened by having a few individuals with natural testosterone and X-Y chromosomes compete against them. It is not as simple as slamming a declared female (having X-Y chromosomes) into a female competition category. The left needs to think about this instead of making simple and clumsy "accommodations" that are anything but fair.
Here is some news that might shock you.
DeleteNot everyone is born with XX or XY chromosomes.
Not everyone is born with genitalia that fits neatly into the Male/Female dichotomy.
Some babies with XX chromosomes are born with male sex organs. Some babies with XY chromosomes are born with female sex organs.
Your entire argument centers around the idea that these facts don't exist.
Henry--Successful female athletes are often speculated about. Are they really females. Take a look at pictures of Martina Navvatilova and you can see why people wondered about her. Not all trans females are powerful athletes. Not all powerful female athletes are trans.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the religious/political right could resolve to address important issues.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=martina+navratilova&qpvt=martina+navratilova&form=IARRSM&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover