Is it Fair For Transgender People to Compete in Sport?
This is certainly a touchy subject and I'm just looking for opinions from my fellow Steemers.
New Zealand power lifter Laurel Hubbards just won Silver at the World Professional Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim.
Laurel Hubbards is a 39 year old transgender athlete who competed under the name Gavin Hubbards up until 4 years ago, when she switched to womans powerlifting and has since been setting records in the field.
She's already faced alot of criticism in her career, she avoids interviews after medal ceremonies due to the fact she maybe just shy or wants to avoid more questions about her sex.
I'm not looking to stir the pot too much but I'm just wondering if you think it's fair that she competes against other women?
Incase you were wondering, USA took first place with Sarah Robles lifting a combined 606 lbs between the snatch and the clean and jerk.
It was USA's first World Medal in the sport since 1994.
These are big strong women 💪😓
This girl doesn't seem to stand a chance but I applaud her effort..
Thanks for reading,
hell no this ain't fair. And that is not a good representative of the US. I can hear that conversation now...." well I am not winning in the mens... maybe I should try the womens" we need losers, it make winning a bigger deal.
So what do we do Ray? Should there be another third group just for transgender people, wouldn't that be alienating against people who look one way but feel and identify as another? I'm glad I don't have to make these decisions. I want to be accepting of everyone but I'm just not sure it's fair for ppl born with the body of a "man" to compete against women. If I were a woman I'd feel a bit cheated as males are just physically stronger in general
I think we should focus more on whats right and whats wrong. I think there is to much focus on sensitivity. Everyone cant be good at everything. Sure I get it some men think they are women and some women think they are men, and I am okay with that. But, and I say but very sensitive you have to know when it becomes a disadvantage to others and this is a prime case. Men and women have been seperated in everything they do, i dont think transgenders should be any different, make a new group.... I am gonna stop with that before I get my 1st down vote....
No it's cool. This is a debate and you're entitled to your opinion even if others don't agree with it. Talk helps, ignoring these issues doesn't move us forward at all. I personally don't think it's fair to the other women competitors but apparently the ruling body of this sport feels it is
Lets put it a little simpler. You cant take an orage and call it a grapefruit, just wouldnt be fair to the other grapefruits, see grapefruits and oranges each have their own group but fall under citrus. So you have men, women, transgender each have their own group but fall under humans....
I'm a big purple throbbing eggplant, called it! 🍆
I'm part of the group that was born with the big package..
My favorite show growing up!
make the transgender olympics :)
Hello,
I'm transgender (FTM), and I don't think it's fair. You can say it's not fair without insulting people you don't understand, people. If a sport is really dependent on strength like that, the MTF gal has a natural advantage. Some people might argue that it's unfair that Michael Phelps is double jointed, but there is a reason many sports aren't co-ed. My brain (according to a small-scale study, transgender people had the brain of the gender they identified as, which is rather the most important organ, wouldn't you say? As far as I know, the study hasn't been scaled up yet but I haven't looked for updates) might be male, but my strength distribution is female, whether I like it or not. Obviously I can workout with certain goals in mind, but this lady's goals are to be strong in a sport where men have an advantage, and ergo she would kick my arse.
There are lots of trans folks who don't take hormones for various reasons including health issues, etc., but sometimes it's a professional choice, like they're a musician and they don't want to send their singing voice through a second puberty. Which is totally valid and their decision, but if this lady isn't on E it's extra unfair, I think.
Tl;dr sex is parts and gender is mind, and if I was competing in a sport where girls have an advantage as a trans man, I'd bow out. I underatand why some trans folks don't want to be out (read this comments section and the insults and it's not hard to see why), but your past doesn't get erased because it was painful, and unless you were able to take hormone suppressants as a teenager so you didn't go through the wrong puberty, which most trans people don't get to do because they're minors and society deems them unfit to have control over their bodies, your body matured the wrong way, like it or not. I have hips built to accommodate twins, and no amount of T is going to whittle them down. This gal has superior upper body strength, and since she obviously still exercises it, she's not losing it, and doesn't want to ...which is fine for her personally, but unfair in a gendered competition that is gendered based on physical advantages. If it was gendered for no logical reason, it wouldn't matter.
Thank you so much for your comment! Yeah I believe ppl should be free to express their opinions without fear of backlash from others. I personally feel this individual is at an unfair advantage here and I was just trying to gauge others opinions on the topic, I definately want trying to alienate anyone. I don't care how other people conduct themselves or if they live however they choose aslong as they're happy, I'm trying to be better and less critical of others as I get older. We're all just people at the end of the day, life is hard enough as it is so why waste energy trying to judge others on how they live their lives. Again thanks for stopping by @phoenixwren
no it's not fair and it's bullshit. This equality crap is crossing the line into biology. Simple question: Are men GENERALLY physically stronger than women? I can't push babies out of my ass ;)
I appreciate your opinion. It's a sensitive subject for sure. I think she was born as a man but identifys as a woman, which is fine but her body probably makes her stronger, which in my opinion, makes it unfair for the other woman in the field
sensitive to whom? Snowflakes looking for their next "cause". Forget the basics like poverty, illness, and famine. Men are men, women are women. If you identify as a women that doesn't mean you are a women (as biology dictates). You may "feel" like you are a women but facts don't care about your feelings. If you get a sex change, it still doesn't make you a women; only by appearance. Biology will not grow a man a working uterus or the natural feminine hormones to boot. It's only a sensitive discussion if we de-humanize people going through this. I'm just stating facts, I can still empathize that a person is having an identity crisis.
Don't you think you could be born with a male body but have more estrogen in your body thus making you feel like a woman? Should you be forced to live your life as a man even if you feel like a woman?
Yes, thus the identity crisis. But don't I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her, I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat And a six four Impala.
Skee Lo! Haha Well thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate your candor
This post has received a 5.50 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @goldenarms.
Great Post @goldenarms - Personally I Think it is JOKE and HE SHE man is making a Mockery out of the sport and no disrespect to New Zealand but I'm sorry but the People there must be some of the Biggest Idiots on the planet in allowing this type of Nonsense to happen - anywhere in the sane world this would not be allowed, this he she man and the new zealand weightlifting commitee need there heads examined, I have a big issue with this type of Blatant Corruption of the sport - great post very thought provoking, I wonder if I had a Gorilla and I trained it to do Bench press and clean and jerks, if new zealand would allow it to compete in the mens heavyweight lifting category - animals have rights too ;-)
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