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I wish people would stop pretending to care about the well-being of women. When I think of barriers faced in women’s sports, I think of lack of funding, resources, and support. When I see women in sports discussing their concerns they usually revolve around harassment and discrimination. I don’t think banning trans people from sports is about protecting women, it is about control.
Look, I’m all about fair competition, but that doesn’t stop just because the competition becomes more inclusive. Competitors are still matched up in similar height, weight, and age ranges.
Further, this topic is also made out to be much more prevalent than it is. Trans athletes make up a small percentage of our population, because they already face enough exclusion and barriers without laws striping them of their civil rights.
We saw the consequences of this thinking towards women’s sports during last year’s Olympics when a female boxer was accused of being trans because she was good at her sport. The fact is, the current state of our government is likely only tuning into women’s rights when they see an aspect they can control.
Trans women are not threatening. They are just people who deserve acceptance. They are not going to find that acceptance when forced to participate in male sports; they will face scrutiny and danger.
I understand that a lot of money is riding on sports and some people may be concerned about scholarships, but again, I really haven’t seen these opportunities be threatened.
At the end of the day, I hope everyone can remember that sports are just games, they are meant to be fun, challenging, and rewarding. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to participate.
Cassandra Gardocki
Old Town
