So if you thought I had disappeared from the face of the earth – you would be wrong – I have been working – honest!
I was working on probably my most comprehensive and challenging article yet – trans people in sport.
From a zero-knowledge base, I have researched and read over a seven-week period. I’ve found people who knew about this issue and talked to them – started on occasions at 4:00 AM, writing what I consider a very important article that trans folk can quote with confidence back to the gender-critical.
I concluded that trans people are grossly disadvantaged in sport. Many trans folks will not even participate because of fear and hate.
You can read the article by clicking HERE.
The response has been fab with the ever-faithful Paul Levene (a sports expert) messaging me this lovely comment about my article and providing extra information.
Hi Steph – it’s excellent!
There is nothing I could disagree with – there are always areas where bits could be added, but I’m not sure it’s necessary. So for what it’s worth I’ll let you know just in case, you feel anything worth using or even saving for another time.
One thing I find interesting is that there is a total acceptance that pre-puberty boys and girls are equals in sport and so all of the male advantages are only obtained through puberty. At some point, we will have far greater acceptance (I hope!) and use of puberty blockers, so those trans women having never been through male puberty can never be accused of having any advantage whatsoever. So any trans women on blockers and then onto hormones should have automatic rights to compete at any level. But what is very telling to this argument is when you ask someone strongly against trans women in Women’s sport if they are still opposed if they were on blockers so had no male advantages.
And it’s when they still say no that we see for sure this really has nothing to do with fairness – they just use that as an excuse, and it was just pure and simple transphobia. A point I would also raise about Martina Navratilova and her taking away US spaces is that it’s not that she’s done anything wrong as those are the rules, and she didn’t make them – it’s the fact that trans women also follow the rules and yet they are still accused of doing something wrong. It’s the double standards – and ultimately that’s my whole anger about this subject – sport isn’t a level playing field.
Michael Phelps had size 14 feet and double-jointed ankles, so he effectively had ‘flippers’ – was that fair?
Kenyan distance runners from one area had naturally thin ankles that made them excel in distance running and won so many Olympic gold medals – was that fair?
More than 95% of all trophies are currently won by the richest football teams – is that fair?
The formula one world racing champion will invariably be driving the best car – is that fair?
Depending on where you are born you will have totally different coaching levels, training facilities, quality of equipment etc. and yet all Nations compete together in the Olympics – is that fair?
Genetically it’s very clear that white swimmers and black sprinters have an advantage in each sport – is that fair?
I could go on and on, and the point is that clearly none of the these are truly fair. BUT no one complains – they all compete within the rules and there is no problem, so all these winners are celebrated.
And yet, trans women who are just as naturally born the way they are as any other example above are singled out with demands for fairness – the others are all winners, and no one complains, but trans women are targeted for not even being able to qualify!
Why?
Either all are acknowledged as unfair, and rule changes are required or none – So tell me who is really subjected to unfairness in sport?
I then replied to Paul saying:
“Thanks, Paul – I agree with all your points. We are both on the same page. I am going to do a blog today as a follow up to my article. I hope you don’t mind, (I am sure in fact you don’t) but I will include your points in the blog. Sport is never 100% fair. Competitors just get on with it. Paul replied:-
Absolutely!
It’s almost another blog by itself looking at why trans women are expected to conform to a rule of fairness that no one else is. Another that fits that subject is the treatment of Caster Semenya – she is competing in exactly the way she has been born, so like the examples, I gave of other sporting winners that had natural-born advantages, but it’s only unfair for her – why?
It’s only my feeling, but I really need to ask if she would have been subjected to the same level of scrutiny and legal action had she been white and looked like Sharon Davies! – if so, I’m convinced she would have been celebrated as a pin-up athlete.
Plus, all of this is based on T levels being unfair in trans and intersex women – well if T levels are so genuinely vital to fairness, then why is it never tested in every single area of sport? – everyone should be tested and anyone else with a T level above the acceptable ‘fair’ mark should surely be restricted for fairness reasons??
Yet no – T levels are only considered unfair in TW and Intersex. It is all just driven by one clear thing – blatant discrimination, and it makes my blood boil!
Thanks, Paul!
Yet again, you have written my blog for me!
