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Tom Ruen's avatar

I’m not a woman and I support protecting the female category for sex, not identity.

I ran my last race as non-binary to protest males being encouraged to enter the female category. I delayed my 10k start by 2:50, and 5k by 1:25 to symbolize the difference between male and female world record. That’s a lot of time to make up, but everyone I pass can see my sign “Restore Female Category”

P.s. I still won the non-binary category, although no prizes or awards this time. Maybe they’ll skip the category next year?

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Nicki M.'s avatar

It's so headache inducing when I think of how the trans situation has compromised so much. Including sports. Recently, it was Dylan Mulvaney's turn to be awarded 'Woman of the Year'. And yet you hear people say, 'But who are we/they hurting? No-one'.

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Sarah Barker's avatar

I sputter a lot when I hear "who does it hurt?" Because like all things to do with gender ideology, it seems ridiculous to argue such things as "because biology" or "because reality." It seems alarmist to say, but once you let go of such basic truths as sex is binary and immutable, then you are in 1984 land. You will believe anything. And if you've read Jennifer Bilek's work, that's not a good place for people to be

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Nicki M.'s avatar

Absolutely! Jennifer Bilek's work was so illuminating to me and provided some much needed pieces to the puzzle.

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Tom Ruen's avatar

The primary reply I’ve gotten for women runners on inclusion is the (false) belief that trans woman can compete fairly because of reduced testosterone. I said first, that has been proven false equalizer, second that a trans identity requires no medicalization at all, third any male can self ID as female and will not be questioned by race directors.

The only cost of a male identifying as female is social stigma, if people think it is insincere. And it is a real risk. 2/3 of fun of sports is social connections. But if the only opinion that matters is trans allies who cheer your every transgression, then the sky is the limit.

And of course US mile champion female, Nikki Hiltz, identifies a non-binary, but runs as a female, because she’d not stupid. She couldn’t beat top men even with synthetic testosterone treatments.

Trans cheating only works in one direction.

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Cavatina's avatar

Sharron Davies book Unfair Play describes in great (and scientific detail) the huge advantage males have over females in sports. A mediocre male can easily defeat a champion sportswoman. All the evidence needed to exclude trans-identified males from female sports is in this book. I am aware, of course, that gender ideologists may not be interested in evidence...

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Sarah Barker's avatar

Exactly. I have tons of evidence to support my views that women's sports should be for women only. The science is out there. I want to understand why some women, athletes even, actively support males in women's sports. Billie Jean King?!

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The Sue With the Goats's avatar

Apparently last weekend a 50 year old male professor from York University competed in the "girls 13 and over" category at a meet in Markham. Perhaps this was a protest swim (like the weightlifting coash in Alberta) or there is other context, not sure yet, but on the fact of it... ugh. What were the parents in the bleachers thinking, one wonders?

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Charles Arthur's avatar

Using ChatGPT to get the other side’s argument is certainly novel - it’s basically a random sentence generator which is really good at picking the next word - but it seems to do a good job. Maybe if you offered some of these people you contacted to be anonymous when they put their case?

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Sarah Barker's avatar

I agree, ChatGPT was far from ideal and in no way scientific. In fact, I did offer anonymity to some people I contacted.

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