"Cal Calamia is a female who is getting performance enhancing benefit from a prohibited substance" and also getting to perform to a large and growing audience as a self-indulgent, self-indignant, quasi celebrity. It is unbecoming for all sports women and men to behave in such a vainglorious manner espeically in a sub category of mediocrity. Let the great winners preen if they wish, and let them earn as befits their dedication, discipline, and sacrifice as well as market drivers. And when they retire, may they be excellent ambassadors of sport like Navratilova and others of her grace and dignity.
The whole nonbinary category is ridiculous and makes a farce out of competitions.
What is your feeling about TiFs on testosterone being granted TUEs to compete in the men’s/open category? I understand the principled objections you point out in your column, but where do TiFs on testosterone compete if they can’t compete it the men’s category, which they technically can’t do without a TUE.
Personally, if I could get all males out of the women’s category in every sport at all levels of competition, with the trade-off that TiFs can compete in the men’s category with a TUE, I’d make that deal every day and twice on Sunday.
You observe my principled objection correctly—I think there is no place in sport for gender ideology. I don't think there should be a nonbinary category. If a person is female, she can identify any way she pleases but she competes in the female category. Testosterone is always a choice, not a given. Again, a female may identify as a man, cut her hair, dress as she pleases, but she does not have to take testosterone. At the point we are now, I think it will be difficult to "get all males out of the female category at all levels" especially in road races. When I talked in the post about agreeing on certain truths like the reality of sex, if we all agreed that there are two sexes and one cannot change sex, then sports could focus on accepting people who want to be seen as the opposite sex without demanding they ARE the opposite sex. I think women's sports does an excellent job of accepting gender nonconforming women. I think men's sports has some work to do in accepting gender nonconforming men
I disagree. I think there is no reason to 'protect' the male category from doped up females. The females aren't going to win and take anything from the males.
Well, I don't want anyone using testosterone for the sake of appearance (that's a choice, not a medical need) and I want to banish gender ideology utterly from sport. So a "doped up female" is a female who wishes to be seen as male. She's not trans or nonbinary or transmasculine or any other terminology made up by gender ideology--she's female and should compete in the female category. If she chooses to use testosterone for the sake of male appearance, that's her choice. Choices have consequences--she may be banned for using a prohibited drug
I agree with you and also want to abolish gender ideology from sport. I just see no issue with women competing against men if they choose to, because there is no need to protect the category from women. I think the male category can be 'open' and the female category is for females.
I say this partly because whether we like it or not (like you, I don't) some women are going to take T. They're mentally ill and struggling, etc. If they can't compete at ALL, then we are looking at a better argument that 'trans are being excluded from sports', because they actually would be. I don't think anyone should be completely barred from sports, even if they are mentally ill and delusional.
Thank you for this excellent article. It's been so disheartening to see so many races adopt the 'nonbinary' category, which is mostly just a vehicle to funnel more prize money to mediocre males, and now doping females.
Excellent piece, Sarah. Why can’t we just legislate that sex is binary and immutable. That’s how it used to be; biological reality should be reinforced.
"Cal Calamia is a female who is getting performance enhancing benefit from a prohibited substance" and also getting to perform to a large and growing audience as a self-indulgent, self-indignant, quasi celebrity. It is unbecoming for all sports women and men to behave in such a vainglorious manner espeically in a sub category of mediocrity. Let the great winners preen if they wish, and let them earn as befits their dedication, discipline, and sacrifice as well as market drivers. And when they retire, may they be excellent ambassadors of sport like Navratilova and others of her grace and dignity.
The whole nonbinary category is ridiculous and makes a farce out of competitions.
What is your feeling about TiFs on testosterone being granted TUEs to compete in the men’s/open category? I understand the principled objections you point out in your column, but where do TiFs on testosterone compete if they can’t compete it the men’s category, which they technically can’t do without a TUE.
Personally, if I could get all males out of the women’s category in every sport at all levels of competition, with the trade-off that TiFs can compete in the men’s category with a TUE, I’d make that deal every day and twice on Sunday.
You observe my principled objection correctly—I think there is no place in sport for gender ideology. I don't think there should be a nonbinary category. If a person is female, she can identify any way she pleases but she competes in the female category. Testosterone is always a choice, not a given. Again, a female may identify as a man, cut her hair, dress as she pleases, but she does not have to take testosterone. At the point we are now, I think it will be difficult to "get all males out of the female category at all levels" especially in road races. When I talked in the post about agreeing on certain truths like the reality of sex, if we all agreed that there are two sexes and one cannot change sex, then sports could focus on accepting people who want to be seen as the opposite sex without demanding they ARE the opposite sex. I think women's sports does an excellent job of accepting gender nonconforming women. I think men's sports has some work to do in accepting gender nonconforming men
I disagree. I think there is no reason to 'protect' the male category from doped up females. The females aren't going to win and take anything from the males.
Well, I don't want anyone using testosterone for the sake of appearance (that's a choice, not a medical need) and I want to banish gender ideology utterly from sport. So a "doped up female" is a female who wishes to be seen as male. She's not trans or nonbinary or transmasculine or any other terminology made up by gender ideology--she's female and should compete in the female category. If she chooses to use testosterone for the sake of male appearance, that's her choice. Choices have consequences--she may be banned for using a prohibited drug
I agree with you and also want to abolish gender ideology from sport. I just see no issue with women competing against men if they choose to, because there is no need to protect the category from women. I think the male category can be 'open' and the female category is for females.
I say this partly because whether we like it or not (like you, I don't) some women are going to take T. They're mentally ill and struggling, etc. If they can't compete at ALL, then we are looking at a better argument that 'trans are being excluded from sports', because they actually would be. I don't think anyone should be completely barred from sports, even if they are mentally ill and delusional.
Thank you for this excellent article. It's been so disheartening to see so many races adopt the 'nonbinary' category, which is mostly just a vehicle to funnel more prize money to mediocre males, and now doping females.
Excellent piece, Sarah. Why can’t we just legislate that sex is binary and immutable. That’s how it used to be; biological reality should be reinforced.