So, I’ve had moments in the past where I might have spent 30 seconds thinking about this subject but ultimately I don’t give a fuck about competitive sports so my analysis usually ends up being, all competitive sports should be banned because competitive sports are dumb. Which is admittedly a neanderthal take.
But yeah, now the global athletic showdown is going down and seemingly everyone in my immediate vicinity keeps clutching their pearls and I guess I’m sick of not being able to advocate for trans comrades appropriately and articulate a proper response.
So what’s a better response besides, “who cares?” Am I missing something? Like, if all things were equitable, what would or should competitions look like?
Help me out. I honestly have no idea.
Ban Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt for having an unnatural advantage.
It’s obviously all concern trolling to justify transmisogyny.
Totally agree. I just don’t know or care enough about sports to have decently formulated arguments. It looks like there were some shitheads in this thread but that’s not me. I’m actually understanding a lot of what folks are saying and glad that more or less I’m starting get it.
Granted, I still hate competitive sports.
If the problem with trans people competing is that the hormones give them an advantage, then we’re discussing the wrong issue entirely. Why is it the women’s category and not the x hormones above y level category? Because hormones are vastly varied by individual, and sex/gender only correlate to those hormone levels.
But trans women are going to be taller on average than cis women! they say. Oh, you mean we should be segregating the sport by height categories, not by sex/gender? So a 5’7" man and a 5’7" woman can compete against one another fairly and that’s the end of it?
Nooo, they say, because something something lung capacity. Heart size. Bone density. And on and on they go, listing all kinds of physical characteristics by which the sexes generally but do not necessarily differ. And at each characteristic I ask the same question. So that’s the one that matters, that’s the category by which we should segregate sports, yes?
I’ve never heard a satisfying response to this line of questioning.
Why are we punishing women who produce more testosterone? It makes no sense
Not only that but there is this inherit argument of “fairness”. But there are a number of natural genetic conditions that give people an edge. I think in one study they found that women who compete in the Olympics in some sports had a particular genetic trait that was associated with larger muscle growth and higher testosterone and were over represented in sports at a rate of 140x the normal distribution in the general population. Is that fair for women who don’t have this genetic trait? Should we bar women with this trait? The Olympics has said “no”.
Lastly, we are probably a generation or two away from genetically modified human beings in some capacity. This will be a whole other can of worms that will make the trans debate seem tame.
Zero. China has modified twins to be immune to HIV.
Edit: the scientist responsible spent three years in prison for it, so it’s misleading to imply there was state backing. Still, it happened. CRISPR is one hell of a drug.
essence of thought is doing a series on the history of this crap. turns out closeted trans men were winning in the womens division a century ago, and in categories where women won mixed competitions they would add gendered divisions and change things so e.g. target shooting scores can’t be compared.
Early Transphobia & Sexism in Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueGw_L7FVYM
Olympic Transphobia & The Red Scare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg0xv-BCF98
and she has some stuff from a few years ago refuting all the modern panic, relating to some atheist schism.
I found YouTube links in your comment. Here are links to the same videos on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Link 1:
Link 2:
There are no trans athletes in the Olympics this year, I don’t get why anyone’s talking about it
Isn’t there a boxer from the Philippines who’s a trans guy? Thought i saw something about him on Twitter. If I’m right I’m guessing chuds aren’t up in arms bc of other transphobia (seeing trans men as women and therefore inferior, especially at Sport) and bc racism and anglocentrism
Isn’t there a boxer from the Philippines who’s a trans guy?
Yeah, Hergie Bacyadan. The IOC is having him compete in the women’s 75kg division as he’s not on T yet.
The Olympics has abdicated all responsibility on ensuring transgender athletes can play and instead has federations decide (please inform me if I’m mistaken with this case). The IBA does not have specific transgender regulations, but the IBA Technical Competition Rules (March 3, 2024) appears to be the most reactionary, unscientific one I’ve seen yet (I’ve looked at like a dozen sports federations). Maybe tied with World Aquatics which at least tries to cover its own transmisogynistic tracks with pseudoscience.
“Men/Male/Boy” means an individual with chromosome XY. For this purpose, the Boxers can be submitted to a random and/or targeted gender test to confirm the above, which will serve for the gender eligibility criteria for the IBA Competitions;
“Women/Female/Girl” means an individual with chromosome XX. For this purpose, the Boxers can be submitted to a random and/or targeted gender test to confirm the above, which will serve for the gender eligibility criteria for the IBA Competitions.
4.2. Eligibility on Gender
4.2.2. To determine the gender, the Boxers can be submitted to a random and/or targeted gender test which will be conducted by IBA in cooperation with the selected laboratory personnel.
Chromosomes? Lmao. This is biology -101.
if it were true that one can easily just transition and go play in the female league of a sport and immediately dominate, why aren’t all of the worlds biggest and most successful athletes trans women? if experiencing a “male” puberty makes a trans woman inherently stronger than any cis woman out there, why has only one open trans woman competed in the olympics ever (where she unfortunately did not place in the top three)? if it were as easy as the right makes it sound, you’d think we’d dominate every category effortlessly but you just don’t see that. the opposition to trans women in sports relies completely on a fantasy.
I think this is super helpful especially when responding to the dipshits. Definitely keeping these talking points in the chamber.
it’s usually effective with these people because there’s no argument for banning trans women from women’s sports that’s based in reality, its genuinely a make-believe issue.
estrogen also really weakens you! it’s totally a thing. pre-transition, i was in the gym pretty frequently so i built up quite a lot of muscle mass. now i can’t lift something more than like 10 pounds. even had to get a polymer stock for my rifle because it was too heavy.
