On Transgenderism and Sports
If it’s “unfair” for a trans woman to compete with non-trans women in a given sport, then the problem – to the extent there is one – is the sport.
Is it unfair for a transgender woman to compete with a woman in chess, biathlons, race car driving, or gymnastics?
No and that isn’t debatable.
What about rugby or swimming?
The problem with most popular sports like these is that they’re designed by men so that some men will usually do better at them than women.
There are lots of other problems with sports, too. They:
- create an irrational addiction to “winning”
- promote aggression and violence
- are exclusionary and create inequalities
- undermine teamwork and collaboration (see #3), contrary to unexamined conventional wisdom
- are drenched in commercialism that exploits athletes, fans, public – and worst of all makes us cringe
Of course, there are many great things about popular sports too – I know this firsthand because played organized basketball for 11 years.
But the thing is, popular sports aren’t about fairness; is it fair is the wrong question.
Now tell me again, how are trans people the problem here and why should they be the focus of our attention?