At least one state is getting out in front of the issue of transgender
student-athletes competing in their converted gender rather than
the one established at birth.
Last month, the state of Tennessee introduced a bill that would
require student-athletes to only compete in sports against other
athletes in their birth gender, not their converted one. For instance,
if a student’s birth certificate reads as female but the person’s
present status identifies as male, they must compete against
females. The same applies for those whose birth certificate reads
male but presently identifies as female.
Rep.Bruce Griffey, who sponsored the bill, cited that males have
larger hearts and more upper body strength than females, thus
giving them an advantage. The issue also stems from the fact that
there are few, if any, woman to man transgenders that are winning
big at top level sports against males. Conversely, there are man to
woman transgenders that are smashing female records.
Transgender advocates view the bill as demeaning. For extensive
details, read the link below:
The transgender movement has become more common in recent
years. In 2016, Williams Institute conducted a study that found 0.6
percent of the United States population identified themselves
as transgender. The population has likely increased since that
study, it’s just a question of how much?
I’m not going to use this space to discuss the moral compass of
someone choosing to become a different gender because in
America, you have that right. I will also not use this space to go
into transgender rights in society on the whole because this is a
sports story.
The notion I keep coming back to is, “You have men’s and women’s
sports for a reason. They call it Title IX.” In the simplest of terms, it
was established in 1972. The basic premise behind the ruling was,
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be
excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
In my judgment, allowing student-athletes to compete against
their converted gender rather than the once given at birth,
bastardized Title IX.
To truly understand the premise of Title IX, however, it is not just
about females having the opportunity to play sports. It was
about them having the opportunity to compete in sports on a
more level playing field.
In my previous career, I was a sports reporter covering primarily
high school athletics. Throughout those years, there were a few
females that would adequately compete well against the boys but
if I counted, I doubt I could reach one hand.
So if the examples are outliers at the high school level, they would
really be fewer and farther between at the college and professional
ranks, if they would even exist at all.
Another example I could give is wrestling, which has become
more mainstream, particularly at the high school level over the past
quarter century. In the state of California, there is a state tournament
for the girls as well as boys. There are probably examples in other
states but since I live in California, that is the only place I can state as
an example.
Even in a sport like wrestling, which does not penalize a kid for their
size because of weight classes, there are competition issues. Just
as a broad generalization, and I covered many wrestling meets, I
witnessed girls emerge victorious over boys. However, if you took
the state champion, for example, 130-pound female wrestler and
placed her against a mid-level or below wrestler in that class, she
will emerge victorious a fair amount of times. Against the top level
males, however, that is very seldom if ever the case.
One of my older sisters graduated from Napa High (Napa, CA) in
1982 and wanted to try out for the soccer team. Mind you, this was
before the days of girls soccer teams. That scenario meant she had
to play on the boys team. Suffice it to say, the idea of a girl even
thinking she could play sports with boys did not go over well at all.
My sister has told me on a few occasions how the boys would get
overly physical when competing in practice or games, trying to get
her to quit. Well, something strange happened, my sister lasted the
entire season and earned the respect of her peers but in an ideal
world she would have competed on a girls’ soccer team had it been
offered. At the time, however, there was not enough demand.
Given the outrage culture in which we live, I find it no surprise that
this topic has gotten strong responses on both ends of the
spectrum. However, in the grand scheme, let’s not lose sight of why
there is a reason for men’s and women’s sports -- Title IX.
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