We have to make sports fair for all women, not just trans
IT’S shaping up to be a banner Women’s History Month. For the patriarchy, that is. Last week, Leigh Finke, a recently elected transgender rep from Minnesota, was honored by USA Today as one of their “Women of the Year.” Champion cyclocross rider Hannah Arensman quit after losing to a trans woman. Days later, trans cyclist Tiffany Thomas won an NYC race, proclaiming that her jersey made her “feel like a superhero.”
Well, you don’t need a cape imbued with magical powers when you’re a biological man competing against biological women, do you?
Friend or phobic
The soaring testosterone that accompanies male puberty and increases muscle mass and strength is the obvious “superpower.” As we know, hormone therapy doesn’t necessarily eliminate those genetic advantages.
Yes, the trans invasion of women’s sports is still on the march.
The issue of trans athletes competing against biological girls first surfaced on the high school tracks of Connecticut back in 2018. Two transgender runners started edging out females for numerous state titles, which prompted some of the girls to speak out and take unsuccessful legal action against the obvious unfair nature of adding biological males to the mix.
As it sparked a national debate, people who showed concern for its implications on girls’ sports were disparaged with the ye olde ’phobic tag.
Soon, the door was opened for biological males to trounce girls from high school to the elite level.
This hot-potato controversy spread into college swimming with Lia Thomas, a middling at best male swimmer at UPenn, who transitioned to female. At 6-foot-1, Thomas towered over and pulverized the new competition.
Last June, Ricci Tres, a 29-yearold trans skateboarder, beat a 13year-old girl in an NYC contest, evoking Kramer in “Seinfeld” dominating a bunch of kids in karate.
At this point, the trans debate has touched nearly every niche competitive pursuit, including cycling, weightlifting, disc golf and high school volleyball and basketball.
Rights and wrongs
But it hasn’t truly hit the major sports, like tennis, basketball or soccer, where it will surely leave a mark on the “future is female” crowd if a beloved top-ranked tennis player is defeated at the US Open by a trans player.
The transgender sports debate is framed by most of the media as one of “rights” — of the transgender person. You’re not al
lowed to question their sportsmanship.
For instance, Tiffany Thomas, who won the Randall’s Island cycling race, only started racing in 2018. At 47, she is at least a decade older than most of her competitors. Yet she’s won at least 20 races.
Are Thomas’ competitors really infringing on her “rights” to think that is unfair on its face?
At least one governing body is taking a common-sense stand. The World Athletics, which oversees track and field events, previously based trans athlete eligibility on testosterone levels. But on Thursday, they announced a ban on trans women athletes who went through male puberty.
Beyond the need to protect the integrity of the competition, there is also the issue of safety. Just ask the high school girl in North Carolina who suffered a head and neck injury after getting the ball spiked on her by a transgender opponent.
Why is it incumbent on girls to quit, give up their dreams, lose out on a title or risk injury?
As a society, we should be supportive of a trans womans’ right to compete in sports. That will require an honest conversation, not one where science is mangled to serve an ideology. Maybe the World Boxing Council, which announced they were creating a separate category for trans fighters, has found a solution.
But it should not be at the expense of biological females.