He huffed about how the question wasn’t “appropriate” even though his bill would result in kids being asked that same question.
A Republican state rep from Michigan testifying about his anti-trans sports bill on Monday was left speechless after an out Democratic colleague began his questioning by asking, “Representative, can you tell me: are you trans?”
A long beat staring down out gay Democratic state Rep. Mike McFall followed, before state Rep. Jason Woolford ® managed to reply, “Are you?”
“I’m actually going somewhere with this,” he said to lawmakers in the small chamber.
“Because I want to know, how does a 14-year-old girl prove whether or not she’s trans to a 50-year-old coach?”
One could argue that having gone through puberty as a male people might have a bigger frame which could be advantageous in some cases (basketball, track) but in my mind, this is more an argument for puberty blockers than against athletics
That’s the “big car small engine” problem. If anything, this puts trans women at a disadvantage in many sports. You’re stuck with the large skeleton formed in a male puberty, but now you have female-level musculature moving it. There are many sports where trans women are actually at a disadvantage compared to cis women. To see the absolute absurdity of trans sports bans, consider that they apply to all sports. In what possible universe does a trans woman have an advantage in women’s gymnastics?
Look, the reasoning is far cruder than that. It actually goes like this:
False assumption 1: Men are superior to women.
False assumption 2: Trans women are men.
False conclusion, based on the false assumptions: Therefore, trans women are superior to cis women, which is cheating.
Also the Christian fundies, much like Muslim fundies, are believers in strict gender apartheid, and according to their fallacious assumptions (as I’ve listed above) allowing trans women on teams with cis women would violate that segregation.
If all of that is true then why separate men and women in sport at any level?
Plenty of people might have different genetic advantages in sports, but they’re allowed to compete. Who cares?
Exactly.
https://www.scienceabc.com/sports/michael-phelps-height-arms-torso-arm-span-feet-swimming.html
If they want everything “equal” then an athlete like Phelps should be taking drugs to raise the lactic acid in his system.
I’m not sure what the argument is here. Obviously genetics make a difference but other men were competitive. If we were to allow Phelps to swim against the women that would not be the case but you seem to be insisting that none of it is fair because we aren’t all clones so who cares about the rules at all and that doesn’t work
Is Michael Phelps a human or a bird?
At an amateur level, no-one.
There’s states banning trans kids competing in sports.
The kids don’t care.