What? Boys in Girl’s Sports?
Go ahead, call me transphobic. But wait. How could I be, being transgender, having transitioned and then having surgery, how could I possibly be transphobic? Well, I’m not. But anyone who isn’t transgender who writes what I’m about to write would be called that, because the reason doesn’t matter, if you disagree in any way, about anything having to do with someone who is transgender, that automatically makes you transphobic and a hater in the cancel culture we currently live in.
If you’re against ILLEGAL immigration (the key word being illegal) from Mexico and other Central American countries, then you are quickly called racist, when in fact some of those “racists” are immigrants who actually came to the country LEGALLY, and just like others who oppose it and are against those who break the law to sneak into the country when there is a proper way to do it. The term “wetback”, a derogatory term toward illegal immigrants was actually used by Cesar Chavez, a LEGAL immigrant. But I digress.
This is about trans girls (born male just to be clear) competing in girls athletics.
This is about trans girls (born male just to be clear) competing in girls athletics.
This isn’t about illegal immigration, and I don’t think I’ve ever posted here on my web page about politics before, but I think it’s worth giving my thoughts (and you are very welcome to take it or leave it, no judgement here). But I do think it’s important for those who are following me to know that you don’t have to follow certain policies 100% regarding transgender issues just because you’re transgender. Being transgender doesn’t automatically make you a conservative or a liberal, a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent. I know many who are transgender and trust me, the full political spectrum is covered just by the folks I know.
This is about trans girls (born male just to be clear) competing in girls athletics.
This has been an issue for a few years now and is in the news more than ever.
Because someone is transgender, that doesn’t mean that the whole world has to suddenly bend backwards to make life easy. Frankly, being transgender is a form of a disability if it’s anything, and yes, we either learn to deal with it (some better than others) or as so many have done, they kill themselves out of a sense of hopelessness and loneliness. And if we’re able to deal with it, it doesn’t have to be all that hard, but that doesn’t automatically mean that because we’re transgender (poor us), that we can impose what we want on others because it makes us feel better.
I feel sorry for ANYONE who is transgender. It’s not an easy life
I feel sorry for ANYONE who is transgender. It’s not an easy life
Transgender girls almost universally have a physical advantage over genetic girls in most sports. The entire reason boy’s and men’s sports are separated from girl’s and women’s sports is because of the physical differences, and I’m not talking about their genitalia. I’m talking about the FACT that being born male and having gone through puberty genetic males are likely to be 5’9”, genetic females more like 5’4”. Both those numbers seem low to me, but I’m 6’3” so what do I know? Almost everyone is shorter than me! Right there you can see advantages in sports like basketball, baseball (or softball), volleyball, boxing, tennis, even rowing. Genetic males have more upper body strength and more muscle mass.
You may have heard of what’s called “Title IX” (Title Nine). It became law in 1972 to stop preventing girls from belonging to athletic programs simply because they were girls. Hence a whole slew of girls’ sports were spawned. Now we have women’s basketball (and at a professional level at that) along with soccer, volleyball and a slew of other sports. The entire reason for that is because genetic females with VERY FEW exceptions can’t compete in many sports at the level genetic males can.
Let’s start in Connecticut…
There currently is a case now at the appellate level. 3 girls (and their families) filed suit against the state saying that allowing biological males to compete wasn’t fair and violated Title IX. The suit was filed a year ago (too late to actually help the girls in high school) because since 2017, two trans girls had won 15 state championship titles (that were previously held by NINE different girls). The girls opportunity for a scholarship in college was certainly hurt by their inability to compete with the trans girls.
I wish there was a simple solution, so that transgender athletes had a place to go.
I wish there was a simple solution, so that transgender athletes had a place to go.
Now let’s go to weightlifting. Laurel Hubbard set 4 national records in New Zealand as a transgender woman, beating the second place person in one competition by lifting 40 pounds more than the next closest competitor.
Is it hateful? Is it unloving? No. Is it transphobic to point out that biological males are physically bigger than females? No, just an undeniable observation. In an effort to be politically correct, many athletic associations have said if the athlete has been on hormones for a year, then that’s good enough. News flash! I’ve been on hormones for over 30 years and I’m not one inch shorter. I may not be quite as strong as I use to be, but I’m not as young either.
Look, I feel sorry for ANYONE who is transgender. It’s not an easy life. Being transgender adds a complication to your life that most people can’t begin to comprehend. But that doesn’t mean you get to do anything you want, including compete in girls athletics just because you did it as a male. I see that as one of the trade-offs you make when you transition. You have to accept the circumstance you’ve been dealt.
Sometimes we have to make choices. When it comes to transgender athletes, it may come down to what is more important at the time, transitioning or competing? Competing now and transitioning later is ALWAYS an option, unless the person is suicidal, in which case I’d say transitioning and living without competing is the better option.
People get all kinds of disabilities and overcome them, there was the Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius from South Africa. He had both legs amputated as an infant, yet with prosthetics he became an Olympic athlete. His “blades” (which where his lower legs) may or may not have given him an advantage, the Olympics allowed it so I had to figure they vetted it. But the different between male and female anatomy isn’t so hard to figure out.
It is extremely rare that a genetic female competes in a men’s sport.
Recently there was a female kicker on the Vanderbilt University men’s football team. Both of their regular kickers were out and she was a goalie on the women’s soccer team (and being 6’2” didn’t hurt either). But she’s not the regular, she’s the third choice they had when they needed someone in a pinch. She did a great job, but she is the RARE exception. No one is thinking she is NFL quality, no one is even thinking she’s on the team next year.
Because it’s doubtful the average 5’4” trans guy is going to make it at an athletic level with guys a foot taller and 100+ more pounds in most sports, I’m keeping my comments directed to the trans girls issue.
It’s not “transphobic” to use common sense that genetic males shouldn’t compete in physical sports intended for genetic females. I honestly feel bad for the trans girls, competing is what they love to do—it brings them joy. But it would be more fair for them to continue to compete with the boys (just like the Vanderbilt kicker) than for them to compete with the girls. Yes, if they’re taking female hormones, that will over time reduce their muscle mass, but they will always have more than a genetic female.
I would never begin to question the genuineness of someone who says they are transgender.
I would never begin to question the genuineness of someone who says they are transgender.
I made the final table in the World Series of Poker Women’s World Championship in 2006. But I like to think that the genetic male brain isn’t smarter than the genetic female brain, so we were pretty much on equal footing, and considering this was the first time I had ever played in an actual casino and not online, I felt I was at a disadvantage. I like to think I’m just a good poker player since there is no physical advantage between men and women in poker—we all put our butts in a chair at the table.
I wish there was a simple solution, so that transgender athletes had a place to go. Perhaps sometime it will get figured out in a fair way and there will be, but to allow them to compete with genetic females erases the opportunity that genetic females should have had, that the government’s Title IX was intended to protect.
Unchecked, then eventually the WNBA, the U.S. Olympic volleyball team and other currently female sports will be dominated with trans women. I’m sorry, but then what are genetically born females supposed to do? Do we start a new league just for them, only to be filled with trans women not good enough for the higher level?
I would never begin to question the genuineness of someone who says they are transgender. I AM transgender, so I KNOW it’s a real thing and only alive today because I chose to transition 30 years ago. But that doesn’t mean I have the right to compete in an area that was carved out for females BECAUSE it’s what I want.
Physical differences doesn’t make one sex better or worse than the other, simply different. Frankly, if you’ve never watched college women’s volleyball at a high level (like University of Texas or Stanford) it’s pretty incredible. I’d hate to see any of those amazing girls cut because a trans girl took their place. I have friends who were fast pitch softball players and I imagine they would have hated it too if a tall and stronger trans girl took their place on the team.
We have to be reasonable people, all of us. We have to accept that not everyone can have everything they want all the time, and giving a fraction of a percentage of people a place only to upset a large group of people and hurt other worthy people who have worked hard to be where they are is wrong if you ask me. Frankly, I call it pandering and political, not rational.
-Blessings
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Thank you for this excellent article and position. You are in a unique position to address this issue head on. You are correct this will always be a controversial subject. Genes are genes and fair is fair. We all make life decisions about right and wrong regardless of our sexuality and as Believers we don’t always get our own way or what we want. This appears to be one of those cases. As a straight Christian man, I support you, your faith, and your transition. Slowly but surely we are gaining ground and breaking down ignorant/unfair barriers for all transgender… Read more »
Wow. Very insightful! I never thought I’d find another trans Christian with the same views as me. I’ve been called transphobic for saying exactly what you said. Well said, Laurie and God bless!
You are spot on Laurie, l agree 200 %.
I agree this is a difficult topic. I don’t think there’s one good answer. For example, what about transgender girls who know they are transgender from an early age? Those girls often take puberty blockers for a few years to prevent the tall height and other effects of testosterone. Once it’s clear that they want to transition to female, then they start estrogen. Those girls are going to have builds more in line with a “genetic female”, so playing in girls sports would be appropriate. But someone who has gone through male puberty and then transitions will have a different… Read more »
Oh my goodness I love this post! Sharing it right now!!!!
Laurie, my admiration for you never ceases to deepen. Wonderful article. I also agree with Laura Luckadoo’s comment. This is an important matter to discuss, with respect, for all parties involved. Public government legislating for totally private sports organizations goes too far. I love the story of the rare woman football kicker. Image how refreshing it would be to see a local women’s volleyball group see that they needed and wanted one more player and asked a male spectator to join them.
Hi Laurie! I have been a fan of your writing for about a year now and been in transition for just over a year now. I was a late bloomer, being transgender (M-F) for a long time (a lady doesn’t always tell her age). I’m disagreeing with your article here. I think transgender females can compete on the level of natal females. I recently saw an interview with a doctor who is considered an expert in transgender medicine in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania state sports were banning transgender females from competing on high school sports teams) say that when transgenders under hormonal… Read more »