A platform
Being a sports star does give [Olympic diver Tom Daley] a platform that’s useful for more than just reverse pike backflips. He was “furious” after a ruling by the diving body FINA in June to ban transgender women who have gone through male puberty.
“We should be sending out a message to everyone that everyone is welcome no matter who you are, where you come from, your gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, whatever it is, everyone should feel welcome when they try sport,” he says.
Welcome in sport, yes, but not men welcome in women’s sport. Easy for Tom Daley to ignore the problem with letting men invade women’s sport.
We don’t get into the question of fairness, here: the counter-argument runs that divers who were born biologically female would be at a clear competitive disadvantage. But Daley’s point is a broader one. “I just think of myself when I was younger. I’m not transgender, obviously, but if I was told as a gay man I was never going to be able to compete because of who I was, then of course I’d never have tried.”
But that’s not what transgender people are told. Nobody is telling them “You can’t compete because of who you are.” But if men who claim to be transgender take over women’s sport guess what – women are being told it will become impossible for them to compete because the men will always win.
I reckon I could give Tom Daley a run for his money if he was on foot (or ‘per boot’ as they say) and I was allowed to ride a horse, a motor bike, or even a bicycle. It would be just as loaded a contest as a bloke (with male genitalia ) being allowed to run in a race for people born with female genitalia.
“everyone should feel welcome when they try sport”
Yes. Men are welcome to try sport in the men’s division. Even men who say they are women are perfectly welcome to compete in the men’s division. That’s fairness and equality, and being able to compete, no matter “who you are.”
If you let men compete in the women’s division, then who do you mean by “everyone,” when you say that “everyone should feel welcome when they try sport”? Suddenly, women are not welcome when they try sport. So who’s”everyone”? “Everyone ” — except women.
So easy for a man to propose that. It will never affect HIM.
I love male athletes telling us that everyone has to be welcome in sport. They aren’t the ones affected. You know who won’t feel welcome in sport if they know they will always be at a disadvantage? Women. That is why sport was sex segregated, so women had a chance at success.
This exciting new activism reminds us a million times a day that women just don’t matter. “Everyone” means men, and women are mere nuisances who can be trampled over without hesitation.
I can’t imagine they’d be claiming “everyone should feel welcome in sport” if adults were trying to get into Little League or Pop Warner football (American football for small children). There are other teams those people could join; the children’s teams don’t have to welcome everyone. And if they did, kids wouldn’t join. This is ridiculously obvious. But for women’s teams, they suddenly forget everything.
For a long time, women weren’t welcome in sport. Sport was for male bodies only. It may be that way again soon, but this time it will be seen as ‘progressive’ and ‘inclusive’.
And his list of characteristics that shouldn’t be prevented from competing is…interesting. No mention of sex, of course. And the rest of the characteristics have little in common with “gender identity”.
I’m not a diver but I hear that molten lava that identifies as water feels slighted at being excluded from water sports like diving. Again, I’m not a diver or a swimmer but I think Daley should be more inclusive of the fluids he dives into.
“Fluid.” “Fluid-fluid.” (Sorry.)
Sackbut’s comment @5 brought to my mind the masters vs students rugby game in Monty Python’s The meaning of Life.
That was a good one that I had forgotten. Here it is:
https://youtu.be/HKv6o7YqHnE
Also good is this soccer match between three adult professional players and 100 kids. The adults win handily.
https://youtu.be/mD3WAjZ4Waw
Tom Daley and his husband hired a woman’s uterus to gestate a baby for them so I’m not really surprised he doesn’t give a shit about women.
Oh, screw you, autocorrect! (Shakes fist angrily)
Heh I corrected stupid autocorrect. “give a shot” ffs!
Thank you! It insisted on changing “fist” to “cost” as well. Maybe I will try and find out how to turn it off.