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Jeannie Brady's avatar

I didn't think I could be any angrier with the IOC, it's truly next level disdain for female olympians. Thank you for managing to make me smile with this;

“Well, the IOC recognizes that trans women are women.” The interviewer shifts awkwardly in her seat and tries to act normal, as you would around a dangerous psychopath

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Mariah Burton Nelson's avatar

Oh yes such good writing!

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Frederick R Prete's avatar

I agree with your perspective, and understand your anger. Although I have written about this issue, as a psychologist, I am still baffled by the underlying motivations. I am not quite sure how and why some people disengage so completely from reality when there is so little benefit in doing so. As I have written (e.g., on my Substack), creating a third, "open" category in sports seems so simple a solution. Everyone could still compete but awards would be given within categories. I think that would be the reasonable solution. Thank you for your thought-provoking essay. Sincerely, Frederick

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Sarah Barker's avatar

Thanks for reading, and for your comment. Yes, many folks have suggested a third category, and World Aquatics went so far as to organize one for their 2023 World Cup, but no one signed up. In running, all six of the World Marathon Majors, and countless smaller local races, offer a nonbinary category which do get small numbers of trans and NB entrants, but I know firsthand that men who identify as women will still enter in the women's category. Mara Yamauchi is the expert in this area, and she too finds that having a third, or even a fourth (prefer not to say) category does not prevent men from signing up in the women's category. I have seen recent stories about rowing and water polo (and some other sports I can't think of right now) that offer mixed sex categories but still have men entered in the female category. In my research on NCAA trans policy, as far as I know, mandating that men who identify as women continue to compete in their sex category, as trans-identified women often opt to do, was never even a consideration. Because it's men's feelings, men's desires. Lia Thomas' reason for swimming on the women's team was simple—he said, "I am a woman" and therefore he felt entitled to swim on the women's team. End of. The fact that many sports, particularly at the recreational level, offer a third and even fourth category for trans-identified men to enter and many still enter the female category suggests that their motivations are more about being validated as women than about "doing the sport they love."

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Mariah Burton Nelson's avatar

Yes to all of this. Being validated as women, believing they understand what it's like to be a woman, but drawing on years of male entitlement to conclude that they have a right to defeat women.

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Betty C's avatar

The Boston marathon NB category uses women’s qualifying time for entrants. Which means NB males get a break and NB women do not. It’s a way for men who can’t qualify in the men’s division to get a number. It’s all about the men. I was a competitive runner starting in the late 70s just as women were able to enter races and ran Boston over a 20 year period, qualifying. The Olympics didn’t have a women’s marathon until 1984 when Joan Benoit ran.

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Former Dem's avatar

You're drinking the kool-aid if you think they just want to compete. They want to compete with women so they can validate their fetish. Humiliating women in the process is a bonus.

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Anne Gibbons's avatar

Absolutely!!!

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Mariah Burton Nelson's avatar

If there were a third category guess who would win? Men. So men would have 2 categories to win, women just one, and men would win 2/3 of the prizes, status, media, etc.

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Lisw's avatar

Totally this. Men, either trans or not, would win and it would highlight the farce that this is. I suppose you could specify that you could only enter one or the other category, not both, so men would have to choose, but there would still then be 2 categories that men could win for the one that women could win! We would need 4 categories, men, women, trans men and trans women. But then that kind of just says sex is binary. 😂😂😂

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Mariah Burton Nelson's avatar

Exactly.

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Lola Coco Petrovski's avatar

And then, when today's trans children grow up, and due to a decade or two of drugs and surgeries they are barely distinguishable from girls/women and any test to prove sex is illegal, there'll be 3 men's categories. What fun. Can't wait.

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Catherine Brown's avatar

Though today's trans kids won't have the advantage of a male puberty 🤷

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Lola Coco Petrovski's avatar

Some, but testosterone is only one advantage of many that start well before puberty 🙅‍♂️

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Frau Katze's avatar

Apparently no one signed up for the third category. The men want to be on the women’s teams.

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Anne Gibbons's avatar

Agreed. That says it all. Pure, unadulterated misogyny.

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Dragonmama's avatar

Check out integrativesexed.com or the integrative sex Ed Substack. Useful references there.

There are a number of atheistic secular religions based on various postmodernist philosophies that have millions of devoted believers. They genuinely consider objective reality an oppressive social construct.

I disagree, but I acknowledge their existence. I am dismayed by the degree to which they occupy positions of power.

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Dave's avatar

if you are a trans woman there are a few things that you need to understand. First of all is that you are still a man because you can't change your biological sex. It's okay to dress any way you wish and to adopt any superficial, stereotypical attributes of women that you desire. Live your life. No one should care, I certainly don't. However, because women are entitled to be treated fairly and to enjoy privacy from men there are certain things that are prohibited to you and me because we are men. You can't compete against women in most sports because it would be unfair. You can't go into women's private places like restrooms and locker rooms because that would make them feel unsafe. Finally, if you are a criminal you certainly can't be imprisoned with women.

That's it, just like me.

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LEC's avatar

I'm blown away by the insanity.

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Former Dem's avatar

Between this and the Islamist athletes making throat slitting gestures and shouting Allahu Akbar with no repercussion, I won't be watching any of the Olympics.

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Jaynee Beach's avatar

Same. They are a farce.

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V Dale's avatar

Can you provide a link to the original of this image? I just watched the arrival of the torch, and I don't see anything like it. I am not sure where to look for this. Thank you.

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Sarah Barker's avatar

https://x.com/ReduxxMag According to Reduxx, three drag queens were among the many people passing the torch around France ahead of the Olympics

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ThinkPieceOfPie's avatar

Before the games begin, the torch travels toward its destination on a pre-set route, being carried by local dignitaries, for publicity purposes. One of my friends carried it once, the length of time/distance, was short, long enough for a few photos.

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Lissa's avatar

WHY? Is Pape getting paid extra for lying? Why are women doing things and agreeing with things the outcomes of which weaken women? How have so many women’s minds been perverted to act against their own interests?

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Sarah Barker's avatar

I agree— unknowable, incredibly frustrating

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Andrew Orr's avatar

Perhaps Madeline might care to express her opinion as to why there is no rush of trans men to enter men’s sports, like, say, boxing or weight lifting? “ Inclusivity “ looks to be self selective.

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Dr T's avatar

Three drag queens carried the torch in Paris. Drag queens are not transgender.

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Sarah Barker's avatar

They do, though, mock women

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Lynn's avatar

“mock”?

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Anne Gibbons's avatar

Yes! To me it's not unlike Blackface.

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Lola Coco Petrovski's avatar

Drag is totally under the trans umbrella.

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Former Dem's avatar

Ate they at least athletes?

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Sarah Barker's avatar

Nope

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Ken's avatar

The I in IOC stands for Idiot!

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Diane Perry's avatar

I had an idea at least a year or so ago, but it's going to take women with a large platform to pull it off.

Imagine a very sarcastic and mocking "awards ceremony" for transwo-men in women's sports.

It should be called the OlympDICKS, and the trophies should be "brass balls", kinda like those stupid TruckNutz.

I want heaps of SHAME dumped on these fucking invading cheats.

Someone, please... make it happen.

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The 80’s Called.'s avatar

I’m think the Olympics has run its course along with the commonwealth games.

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Jenny Poyer Ackerman's avatar

Great writing, Sarah.

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Babushkaa's avatar

Now this is the tone I love to see in this discussion. F that lady.

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Nancy F's avatar

I understand why black people don’t like “black face “. It’s embarrassing to see men make fun of women. It’s cruel to women.

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Miss Gretchen's avatar

The torch looks like a butt plug.

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