OT: Transgender athletes and fairness
I just read a fascinating column on fairness in female sports. Specifically, Lia Thomas is a swimmer for U Penn who is transitioning from male to female. She was an all-Ivy swimmer on the men's team before transitioning. Since the transition, she has
"basically obliterated the competition, smashing pool and meet records. Her times compare favorably not only with the best current female collegiate swimmers in the country but with the best American female swimmers ever."
The column is an interesting piece looking at the conflict between trans rights and women's rights. I will say upfront, I don't know the answers, but it appears to be troubling.
LINK: Transgender rights and fair play
I am the picture of privilege: a successful white male. As such, anything I have an opinion on is automatically suspect. However, I'd love to hear from female athletes at Michigan as to their thoughts on this.
Jason80
January 11th, 2022 at 5:32 PM ^
Is the tldr while male's opinions are suspect? If so hooray for progressives creating and more just and fair world
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mtzlblk
January 11th, 2022 at 5:56 PM ^
I think the only fair way to do it is to only allow someone that is is transitioning to male-->female to compete in women's leagues if they did so at or prior to puberty and received the right level of hormone therapy throughout that phase to not develop the physical traits that result in the huge advantage in terms of results.
I support transgender rights, but also women's rights and it simply is not fair to allow someone to compete with women that acquires the physical traits of a male body.
There is a reason there are separate leagues, separate sets of records, etc.
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EZMIKEP
January 11th, 2022 at 8:03 PM ^
Just the original post smells of irrational programming-
“I am a picture of privilege/a successful white male. As such, anything I have an opinion on is automatically suspect…”
Aka I am a white male so my opinion is lesser than.
No having an opinion based on your race is what’s suspect.
Catering to that type of thought is what put women into this absurd situation to begin with. Fighting forever for equal rights and now we’ve come to a place where we have literally shit on them because of people with a mental disorder that are given special privileges because of people’s lack of leadership and the weakness of standing up to political bullies.
The solution is simple and making it into a massive math equation is demeaning to our progress as human beings. Biological men have no place in women’s sports. Ever. It is not ethical or logical and it should be stopped immediately. Arguing it is moronic. Some things do not require a long drawn out debate with the political idiots of society.
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tsunami42080
January 11th, 2022 at 9:20 PM ^
After sheepishly bowing and prefacing any comment with “I’m white and my opinion doesn’t matter as much as a non white” more or less tuned me out to anything further he had to say.
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mooseman
January 11th, 2022 at 10:39 PM ^
I bet you liked Harbaugh's "born on third thinking he hit a triple" comment.
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Z1ppz
January 11th, 2022 at 8:21 PM ^
Maybe we will finally see a woman in the nfl lol
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USMC 1371
January 11th, 2022 at 9:57 PM ^
There is nothing that can completely reverse the advantage of going through puberty as a male. One can drink gallons of estrogen and eat nothing but soy their whole life and they will still have a physical advantage. Follow the science?
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