Because of concerns they would be seen as
The BBC is so infuriating on this subject.
More than 100 elite British sportswomen have told the BBC they would be uncomfortable with transgender women competing in female categories in their sport.
That’s such a bad, stupid, misleading, unfair, sneery lede.
Yes, duh, elite sportswomen don’t want men competing in female categories in their sport. Why would they?! The issue, as always, is not being “transgender” but being male. But the Beeb just will not admit that, ever, so instead it solemnly reports that sportswomen are creepy nasty bigots for feeling “uncomfortable” about their darling trans sisters.
But many have expressed fears over sharing their opinion publicly because of concerns they would be seen as discriminatory.
Says the BBC, having just framed its own reporting on this so that the women are seen as discriminatory. It’s not until the fourteenth paragraph that the Beeb admits that the reason for the nasty women’s lack of comfort is “physical performance advantages” – and even then it does it with sneers and nudges and at the end a denial.
In the debate surrounding the inclusion of transgender athletes, many argue that transgender women should not compete in elite women’s sport because of any physical performance advantages they may retain – but others argue that sport should be more inclusive.
See that? It can’t even stand to admit, in the fourteenth paragraph, that men have “any” physical advantages they “may” retain, without adding the rider about how decent people think sport should be more “inclusive” – of men in women’s sport.
They make me want to hit them with a brick.
H/t Mostly Cloudy
Imagine what would have happened if, years ago, males who identified as transgender were referred to as “transgender men,” and trans-identifying females were the “transgender women.” Or even go with “males” and “females,” respectively . It’s tempting to think that none of this sly, casual reframing of the situation would be taking place.
It seemed like such a small difference, a trivial opportunity missed— but it mattered enormously. The language changed what the debate looked like.
Seriously.
I can really only keep it straight with the one word version of
“transwomen” (which btw Android is trying to make me not use). It omits adjectives and has as concrete a meaning as can be had under the circumstances. Doesn’t make them not liars but at least I know who I’m talking about. The TIM/TIF thing is too jargony for those outside GC spaces…
The other language is purposefully confusing…
BKiSA, a couple of years or-so ago I saw a claim somewhere that the correct term is trans woman as it is short for transgender woman, and that ‘transwoman’ was an offensive term on the level of ‘Chinaman’. It occured to me then that using two words was intended to be misleading since on the face of it ‘trans woman’ looks to be describing a woman with a trans identity, whereas ‘transwoman’ is more clear-cut. Or course, the distinction disappears completely when spoken rather than written, because how many people leave an audible gap between ‘trans’ and ‘woman’ when speaking?
I added ‘transwoman’ to my Android’s dictionary – no more red squiggles.
Acolyte of Sagan, yeah it’s most certainly intended to obfuscate. Given the other terms I’m apt to call them I’d say “transwomen” is the most polite do it’ll have to do.