Washington Post on transgender people in sports

[Patchen]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/podc...athletes-and-the-myth-of-inclusion-in-sports/

Thoughts? What a difficult subject.

 

[WriteThinking]

Sports do strive to be inclusive, but the transgender issue is different -- more overarching -- than just possible inclusion or exclusion because of, say, skin color or governmental issues or whatever else may cause problems.

The typical concern over people born men but then transitioning into women and wanting to compete as women is legitimate. It isn't just a matter of identity, and people needing to or having trouble respecting that; it is an issue of competitive equity and fairness, too. It really is difficult. I wouldn't call anyone's concern about it "panic" just because it doesn't happen often. It doesn't happen often now. But that doesn't mean it won't occur more as time goes on, making any complaints more than just "panic" or discriminatory non-acceptance.

Much as I think society is trying -- hard -- to become more accepting and change with the times, this is not a typical, normal issue. It is not something that anyone could've anticipated having to consider or debate or change on a mash, popular level. It's an atypical occurrence that we're trying to normalize for the benefit of those directly dealing with the issue while also trying to satisfy those who are impacted because of a transgender person's presence in competition.

I don't know, maybe someday, there will be a division for transgender athletes, if there are enough of them. Of course, then, the athletes will consider that their identity as women is not being acknowledged or respected.

It's a difficult issue, indeed.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Sports do strive to be inclusive, but the transgender issue is different -- more overarching -- than just possible inclusion or exclusion because of, say, skin color or governmental issues or whatever else may cause problems.

The typical concern over people born men but then transitioning into women and wanting to compete as women is legitimate. It isn't just a matter of identity, and people needing to or having trouble respecting that; it is an issue of competitive equity and fairness, too. It really is difficult. I wouldn't call anyone's concern about it "panic" just because it doesn't happen often. It doesn't happen often now. But that doesn't mean it won't occur more as time goes on, making any complaints more than just "panic" or discriminatory non-acceptance.

Much as I think society is trying -- hard -- to become more accepting and change with the times, this is not a typical, normal issue. It is not something that anyone could've anticipated having to consider or debate or change on a mash, popular level. It's an atypical occurrence that we're trying to normalize for the benefit of those directly dealing with the issue while also trying to satisfy those who are impacted because of a transgender person's presence in competition.

I don't know, maybe someday, there will be a division for transgender athletes, if there are enough of them. Of course, then, the athletes will consider that their identity as women is not being acknowledged or respected.

It's a difficult issue, indeed.

The "panic" term is a result of the Right-Wing Grievance Machine's (tm) reaction to this subject, as well as their reaction to anything related to LGBTQ issues (school book banning, gay marriage, etc.) for the last several decades. And how they are hyper focused on this subject when it really is a minor one compared to many other problems in the world (poverty, wars, homelessness, the climate, hunger, actual child abuse, civil rights, racism, etc.)

Fairness in competition is a legitimate issue, and one that may not leave anyone 100 percent happy. But the "panic" is a result of one side's reaction to this subject.

 

[WriteThinking]

The "panic" term is a result of the Right-Wing Grievance Machine's (tm) reaction to this subject, as well as their reaction to anything related to LGBTQ issues (school book banning, gay marriage, etc.) for the last several decades. And how they are hyper focused on this subject when it really is a minor one compared to many other problems in the world (poverty, wars, homelessness, the climate, hunger, actual child abuse, civil rights, racism, etc.)

Fairness in competition is a legitimate issue, and one that may not leave anyone 100 percent happy. But the "panic" is a result of one side's reaction to this subject.

You're right about how the issue needs to be kept in perspective as compared to many others. I also agree with the idea that that much of the "panic" is a result of one side's view of things. I don't react to that as much, or even think about it in a general way, though, because I consider it kind of performative -- not real or genuine, like a lot of other things about which the far-right reacts the same way.

 

[SoloFlyer]

We've had multiple discussions on this board in the past and my stance generally hasn't changed:

If colleges, pro sports, and international competitions want to set some standard to delineate between male and female competition groups, fine. It just needs to be done in a respectful manner based on science with intersex, transgender, and those with hormone imbalances included as part of developing a solution.

For youth and amateur sports, including high school, I am against stringent rules. I operate from an inclusive mindset. Requiring a 15-year-old to submit to an exam or blood tests is both cost prohibitive and invasive at a time when many teens are just trying to figure things out.

The transgender population is small. The number playing sports is even smaller, and the number who are actually good is even smaller than that. No one is losing a college scholarship or an opportunity by competing in youth or high school sports against a transgender competitor. If you're good enough, you'll be found regardless of your competition and statistics.

Let kids be kids and discover themselves. If they want to pursue their sport professionally or at a higher level as an adult, then you can set some guidelines on their participation.