On teams consistent with their gender identity
This is nuts.
A new policy allowing Canadian transgender student-athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity and without hormone therapy is a welcome change, but more can still be done to make athletics inclusive of gender diversity, says a Vancouver trans athlete and consultant.
U Sports, which governs university athletics in Canada, put its new policy into effect Thursday and says it affects student-athletes at all 56 of its member institutions. Athletes can only compete on teams of one gender during a given academic year, and the policy doesn’t require them to undertake hormone therapy. They must also comply with the Canadian Anti-Doping Program.
In other words people with male bodies can compete on women’s teams.
Ok, but then what will they do when the women’s teams become entirely filled up with people whose “gender identity” doesn’t match their sex? They’ll have to start all over, but with what team? Maybe they could try children’s teams?
In other words: people with male bodies have a huge advantage over people with female bodies in athletic competitions. The Sun article never even bothers to spell that out, all it can manage is mention of testosterone here and there.
“For me, it’s a step in the right direction,” said Kai Scott, a principal partner at TransFocus Consulting, which works with organizations addressing gender inclusion issues.
“I think these kinds of policies are really important. This one, in particular, is great for certain transgender student-athletes in that they can select the team or division that aligns with their gender identity. These kinds of policies are important declarations of support and assurance of inclusivity.”
They may be important declarations of support and assurance of inclusivity, but they’re also declarations of total indifference to women’s ability to compete on teams with people who don’t have the male body’s advantages over the female body. “Inclusivity” is not invariably and in all circumstances a good thing. There are many situations in which we need to be able to choose our company, and that need overrides any need to be “inclusive.” Women’s sport is definitely one of them.
Levels of testosterone, linked to muscle mass and increased strength, have been a key issue in debate over allowing trans athletes to compete in events consistent with their gender identity.
That’s the closest the article gets to admitting the difficulty, but look how careful it is not to spell it out – that this will mean a big advantage for male-bodied people and a big disadvantage for women, and that that seems pretty weird and unfair and anti-feminist given the fact that men are already dominant over women and we’ve been trying to level that out for quite a few decades now.
U Sports member institutions in B.C. include the University of B.C., University of Victoria, University of the Fraser Valley, Thompson Rivers University, University of Northern British Columbia, and Trinity Western University.
UBC released a statement saying it supports the policy.
“We are aware of other institutions where transgender athletes have wanted to play on the team that aligned with their gender identity, and we recognize that the situation could arise here,” said Gord Hopper, director of performance and team support for UBC Athletics.
“UBC supports inclusive and safe environments along with equal opportunities for all student-athletes.”
Well, then UBC has a problem, because this new policy is obviously in tension with equal opportunities for all student-athletes.
It’s great for male-bodied athletes who may not be able to get on male teams but now can just say “I’m a woman” and play on women’s teams.
It’s not so great for female athletes who might want to play on a team where they have a chance of being competitive, and are pushed out in favor of male athletes who can win over the females in contests of strength.
And I doubt we’ll see a rush of trans-men rushing to play with their smaller bodies on the male teams.
In short, this is about one group, and one group only – men. Men who really do identify as women, but also, in the way they’ve worded it, men who would prefer to play against women because they are bigger and stronger than women, and decide to take on a female gender-identity without any change to their bodies that will allow the women the chance to compete.
This won’t end well.
USA Swimming is doing this as well.
https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/usa-swimming-passes-amendment-increasing-inclusion-for-transgender-athletes/
“USA Swimming’s policy towards transgender athletes is unique: unlike many sports governing bodies, it does not require conversion surgery to allow athletes to change their stated gender. Rather, swimmers can request gender choice without medical treatment.”
iknklast–
Bingo.
And I am more convinced every day that this is why transgenderism has had such unprecedented success, both in implementing its agenda and in silencing its critics. I believe it appeals–on a mostly unconscious level–to our collective comfort with male supremacism. Women keep insisting on equality and making inroads thereto. Well, OK–men can be women, too! That’ll show ’em!
Coincidentally, the subject of sport was raised in the comment thread on that post of PZ’s. The response was basically ‘But look at this woman without penis, she dominated her chosen discipline.
Well, so fucking what?
Further to my #4, what Kreator forgot to mention is that every single one of Ms. Semenya’s personal best and world record times, from 100m – 1500m, is still a way behind the equivalent men’s time. Were she to compete against men at world championship level, she would be hard-pressed to even qualify for anything over 200m, and would be at best middle-placed in the 100m/200m.
Acolyte, I think the point is supposed to be, “Well they gave Caster Semenya a hard time too,* and she doesn’t have a penis!**”
Therefore, something.
* Insisted on testing her.
“Following her victory at the world championships, questions were raised about her sex.[5][20][24][25] Having beaten her previous 800 m best by four seconds at the African Junior Championships just a month earlier,[26] her quick improvements came under scrutiny. The combination of her rapid athletic progression and her appearance culminated in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) asking her to take a sex verification test to ascertain whether she was female.[27][28] The IAAF says it was “obliged to investigate” after she made improvements of 25 seconds at 1500 m and eight seconds at 800 m – “the sort of dramatic breakthroughs that usually arouse suspicion of drug use”.[29]” (Wikipedia)
Obvious transphobia!!
** Semenya’s likely intersex, therefore fair game to be used by trans activists as an argumentative prop.
Lady M, I might have misunderstand Kreator’s point (hard to tell with so little to go on) but however one reads it, it is still irrelevant.
Regarding intersex people, they should have no bearing on the transgender debate. Their status comes as a result of abnormal physical development in the womb, where transgender issues are of a psychological nature.
That was also pointed out in that thread, but that point was rejected out of hand because shut up you fascist transphobe.
It’s almost the Slymepit for SJW’s over there these days.
Notice, “a step in the right direction”. A single step, with the implication that more are still needed. How much will finally be considered satisfactory for this lunatic crowd? I’m guessing totally free and unfettered inclusion of any person in any league, or possibly the merging of both leagues. Resulting in the total exclusion of women from any sport competition.
Resulting in the total exclusion of women from any activity outside the home.
The mere declaration of trans-status would allow a man to play on a women’s team. No hormone therapy required. But the ACTUAL women on the team aren’t allowed to use androgens for performance enhancement.
Its not as if Renee Richards took over women’s tennis, but the possibilities here are terrible.