I had my reservations ahead of a debate about trans inclusion in women’s sports last week, but the outcome reminded me that there is merit (and catharsis) in dialogue and debating the other side.
This was a bullshit "debate," Karim, with all due respect. One right-wing philosophy instructor against multiple advocates for the opposite position--a real wolf pack--and a deeply hostile room. I hate to praise anyone from the Heritage Foundation, ever, at all, to any extent, but on that day he was the bravest person in the place.
How about instead of stacking the deck, the sponsoring body had allowed in some medical and scientific experts arguing the opposite of the side that it wished to see win? There are many. Was this "all the news that fits the tint," hmmm? Or unlike a paid right-wing ideologue, they had better ways to spend the time than accept this particular invitation?
There are many, many people who are liberals and disagree with you, and certainly many, many liberals who regret that Kamala Harris's attempts to tap-dance around this issue and not alienate the purity-progs who would use any excuse not to vote for a center-left Democrat anyway, helped to cost her the election. Particularly in the super-critical swing-state of Pennsylvania, where the Trump campaign hammered a broader anti-trans message based on her own old trimming statements, constantly, inescapably, for weeks before Election Day. The result is that all trans people have, I think, already been drummed out of the US armed forces, and their progress in other areas is being mercilessly reversed. Those moral victories get expensive.
I wouldn't care if the president, all of the senators and representatives, all the federal judges, and all of the governors were trans people. I honestly do not care and I have only love, so to speak, for brave trans people. But by gosh, post-pubescent trans women don't have a place in the walled garden of women's sports. I don't know why I'm bothering to argue about this even, given that the National Governing Bodies of the affected sports have been consensus-ing on "my" side anyway, so it's going to be moot. But color me unimpressed by this debate you wrote up.
Concerning the Heritage Foundation man, his tank has had a horrible influence on the USA, but I guess he's used to being unpopular, so he'll go anywhere to show the Christofascist flag and big deal. I doubt he thought he might convince anyone, but at the same time, his own side must have been high-fiving him for wading into a hostile forum.
I like the approach taken in my beautiful California last May by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which governs high school sports. It had become apparent by May that the top contender in the high-jump, long-jump, and triple-jump events would be a trans girl, and the CIF wrote a new rule on the fly:
"On Friday, May, 30, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals.
"Additionally, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event."
On the day, the trans girl had a 67" leap in the high jump, the highest. The two cis-girls who tied one another and were just below her mark were also awarded first-place medals. They all shared a group hug on the podium; everyone cheered; and everyone went home. There were a handful of protestors, I think, but they were ignored. A couple of days later our great president was told about the situation, and bleated out some incoherent, unspecified threat to California for letting this happen -- but nothing came of that either, and you can see exactly how much the threats have shaken Governor Gavin Newsom, who was BTW a standout athlete in his own high-school years, basketball and baseball.
Naturally you can't just do this at a major event such as the Olympic Games, but the NGBs and the IOC call those shots. At the state level which is the summit of most youth-athletics careers, I think this was the right thing to do.
a) Calling my work "bullshit" and then adding "with all due respect" doesn't negate the insult.
b) Jon Pike is with Open University, not the Heritage Foundation. While I agree he was brave to come and argue his case, he was certainly not alone. The cis woman on the panel, Pia, also agreed with some of his points and added nuance to them. I suggest you actually watch the debate linked in the piece. Also, Play the Game tried to invite others like Pike (including scientists) but he was the only one who accepted the invitation.
c) Trump did not campaign on trans inclusion in women's sports. What he did hammer home was the ads about trans prisoners receiving health care at taxpayer expenses, which Harris could have countered but chose to ignore. There is also no statistical evidence that that trans issue was any more important or influential in the outcome than any number of other issues, including the economy.
d) No one is arguing about post-pubescent trans women—as a matter of fact, if you watched the debate, you would see Harper (a trans woman) agree that there are some advantages that cannot be changed and that it would be impactful in some sports. Pia agreed. The debate was over trans inclusion of **all** trans women, which Pike still wants excluded and argued that case without merit or scientific backing.
e) Sports regulatory bodies did have a nuanced policy about trans inclusion that was applied case-by-case in a thoughtful way. Was it perfect? No, but the science is in its infancy and therefore there will be mistakes made. But they are now excluding and banning all trans athletes, no matter how early they transitioned. That isn't "consensus-ing your 'side'"—that is sucking up to Trump.
f) I appreciate your support for my work but I have no interest in discussing this further. I hope you take this feedback and actually watch the debate before closing off your mind and responding in anger. Good day.
Really great analysis as always, Karim. It was a beautiful display of courage in the face of so many setbacks & attacks on the trans community.
This was a bullshit "debate," Karim, with all due respect. One right-wing philosophy instructor against multiple advocates for the opposite position--a real wolf pack--and a deeply hostile room. I hate to praise anyone from the Heritage Foundation, ever, at all, to any extent, but on that day he was the bravest person in the place.
How about instead of stacking the deck, the sponsoring body had allowed in some medical and scientific experts arguing the opposite of the side that it wished to see win? There are many. Was this "all the news that fits the tint," hmmm? Or unlike a paid right-wing ideologue, they had better ways to spend the time than accept this particular invitation?
There are many, many people who are liberals and disagree with you, and certainly many, many liberals who regret that Kamala Harris's attempts to tap-dance around this issue and not alienate the purity-progs who would use any excuse not to vote for a center-left Democrat anyway, helped to cost her the election. Particularly in the super-critical swing-state of Pennsylvania, where the Trump campaign hammered a broader anti-trans message based on her own old trimming statements, constantly, inescapably, for weeks before Election Day. The result is that all trans people have, I think, already been drummed out of the US armed forces, and their progress in other areas is being mercilessly reversed. Those moral victories get expensive.
I wouldn't care if the president, all of the senators and representatives, all the federal judges, and all of the governors were trans people. I honestly do not care and I have only love, so to speak, for brave trans people. But by gosh, post-pubescent trans women don't have a place in the walled garden of women's sports. I don't know why I'm bothering to argue about this even, given that the National Governing Bodies of the affected sports have been consensus-ing on "my" side anyway, so it's going to be moot. But color me unimpressed by this debate you wrote up.
Concerning the Heritage Foundation man, his tank has had a horrible influence on the USA, but I guess he's used to being unpopular, so he'll go anywhere to show the Christofascist flag and big deal. I doubt he thought he might convince anyone, but at the same time, his own side must have been high-fiving him for wading into a hostile forum.
I like the approach taken in my beautiful California last May by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which governs high school sports. It had become apparent by May that the top contender in the high-jump, long-jump, and triple-jump events would be a trans girl, and the CIF wrote a new rule on the fly:
"On Friday, May, 30, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals.
"Additionally, if necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event."
On the day, the trans girl had a 67" leap in the high jump, the highest. The two cis-girls who tied one another and were just below her mark were also awarded first-place medals. They all shared a group hug on the podium; everyone cheered; and everyone went home. There were a handful of protestors, I think, but they were ignored. A couple of days later our great president was told about the situation, and bleated out some incoherent, unspecified threat to California for letting this happen -- but nothing came of that either, and you can see exactly how much the threats have shaken Governor Gavin Newsom, who was BTW a standout athlete in his own high-school years, basketball and baseball.
Naturally you can't just do this at a major event such as the Olympic Games, but the NGBs and the IOC call those shots. At the state level which is the summit of most youth-athletics careers, I think this was the right thing to do.
a) Calling my work "bullshit" and then adding "with all due respect" doesn't negate the insult.
b) Jon Pike is with Open University, not the Heritage Foundation. While I agree he was brave to come and argue his case, he was certainly not alone. The cis woman on the panel, Pia, also agreed with some of his points and added nuance to them. I suggest you actually watch the debate linked in the piece. Also, Play the Game tried to invite others like Pike (including scientists) but he was the only one who accepted the invitation.
c) Trump did not campaign on trans inclusion in women's sports. What he did hammer home was the ads about trans prisoners receiving health care at taxpayer expenses, which Harris could have countered but chose to ignore. There is also no statistical evidence that that trans issue was any more important or influential in the outcome than any number of other issues, including the economy.
d) No one is arguing about post-pubescent trans women—as a matter of fact, if you watched the debate, you would see Harper (a trans woman) agree that there are some advantages that cannot be changed and that it would be impactful in some sports. Pia agreed. The debate was over trans inclusion of **all** trans women, which Pike still wants excluded and argued that case without merit or scientific backing.
e) Sports regulatory bodies did have a nuanced policy about trans inclusion that was applied case-by-case in a thoughtful way. Was it perfect? No, but the science is in its infancy and therefore there will be mistakes made. But they are now excluding and banning all trans athletes, no matter how early they transitioned. That isn't "consensus-ing your 'side'"—that is sucking up to Trump.
f) I appreciate your support for my work but I have no interest in discussing this further. I hope you take this feedback and actually watch the debate before closing off your mind and responding in anger. Good day.