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Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

nytimes.com

31–40 of 960 posts

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#31
post #26
post #4

I wonder if anyone has measured the speed in which reality is codified into law or regulation. Women have been fighting against males in female sports for many, many years. Why did it take so long for something so obvious to be acted upon?

To educate others reading this, it's far from "obvious" how to classify gender in sports. Checking if they have the right "parts" physically doesn't do it. Checking for hormone levels doesn't do it. Even checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it. In my opinion the way forward is to stop trying to find arbitrary ways to define gender, and just start making competition classes based on whatever factors are relevant to t…

>checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it

Lol why does this not do it?

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#32
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To educate others reading this, it's far from "obvious" how to classify gender in sports. Checking if they have the right "parts" physically doesn't do it. Checking for hormone levels doesn't do it. Even checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it. In my opinion the way forward is to stop trying to find arbitrary ways to define gender, and just start making competition classes based on whatever factors are relevant to t…

>checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it Lol why does this not do it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_insensitivity_syndrom...

Among others

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#33
post #26
post #4

I wonder if anyone has measured the speed in which reality is codified into law or regulation. Women have been fighting against males in female sports for many, many years. Why did it take so long for something so obvious to be acted upon?

To educate others reading this, it's far from "obvious" how to classify gender in sports. Checking if they have the right "parts" physically doesn't do it. Checking for hormone levels doesn't do it. Even checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it. In my opinion the way forward is to stop trying to find arbitrary ways to define gender, and just start making competition classes based on whatever factors are relevant to t…

Why is checking for a Y chromosome not sufficient? This does not seem to me like an arbitrary definition. What am I missing?

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#34

Has anyone measured trans athletes performance? I see this topic come up repeatedly in different guises, protect women from the evil trans-agenda. But I haven't seen where this is actually a problem. Do trans-athletes regularly out perform "born as" (not sure the best way to phrase it) athletes?

No idea on the hard data. but... We classify competitions for a reason. The competition is more interesting when the competitors are categorized into similar ability.

You can't bring your formula1 to a touring car race just because you feel like it is a touring car.

Personally I think at the top level there should be an unlimited class. within the rules of the sport anyone can enter, then at various lower prestige levels participation is limited according to some parameter.

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#35
It's clear how insane this culture war against trans people is when you consider this only applies to trans women and not trans men?

Also, so many of these anti-trans efforts end up hurting cis women too, the ones who happen to look too masculine or have too high of testosterone.

Gender is not as straightforward as bigots and transphobes would like to think. I wonder how many cis women will be affected by this ruling because their chromosomes and hormones aren't within so called "normal levels"

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#37
post #21

Trans women have competed as women in the Olympics once ever and have 0 medals. By the numbers it's a non issue under previous rules (despite the incredible amount of ink spilled over it). People are talking about trans women here but the vast majority of people affected by this change are women who are not trans who have a "disorder of sexual development".

The Olympics are looked up to by a large range of people and organization that don't actually participate in the Olympics.

This goes beyond just affecting the Olympics, but setting an example for the world to follow and gives other organizations the cover and courage to follow while being able to deflect to simply setting the same standards of the Olympics.

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#38
post #34

Has anyone measured trans athletes performance? I see this topic come up repeatedly in different guises, protect women from the evil trans-agenda. But I haven't seen where this is actually a problem. Do trans-athletes regularly out perform "born as" (not sure the best way to phrase it) athletes?

No idea on the hard data. but... We classify competitions for a reason. The competition is more interesting when the competitors are categorized into similar ability. You can't bring your formula1 to a touring car race just because you feel like it is a touring car. Personally I think at the top level there should be an unlimited class. within the rules of the sport anyone can enter, then at various lower prestige le…

> No idea on the hard data

Great thanks!

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#39
post #26
post #4

I wonder if anyone has measured the speed in which reality is codified into law or regulation. Women have been fighting against males in female sports for many, many years. Why did it take so long for something so obvious to be acted upon?

To educate others reading this, it's far from "obvious" how to classify gender in sports. Checking if they have the right "parts" physically doesn't do it. Checking for hormone levels doesn't do it. Even checking for Y chromosomes doesn't do it. In my opinion the way forward is to stop trying to find arbitrary ways to define gender, and just start making competition classes based on whatever factors are relevant to t…

The problem with your proposed 'fuzzy divisions' is that they're not compatible with the zeitgeist of 'seeing the best compete', and 'drug-free' sports, as there's no reason to disallow performance-enhancing-drugs if we're already splitting into divisions.

Re: Olympic Committee bars transgender athletes from women’s events

#40
post #28

Not only trans athletes, but any biologically born women the IOC thinks are insufficiently feminine. It’s an unfair advantage apparently. You know, like being born tall for basketball players. Curious how no other biological advantages are being policed.

That doesn’t seem to be the case, given the first paragraph of the article:

> The International Olympic Committee has barred transgender athletes from competing in the women’s category of the Olympics and said that all participants in those events must undergo genetic testing.

Genetic testing doesn’t leave a lot of room for accidentally or intentionally targeting women for being “insufficiently feminine.”

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