Transgender athletes back on the agenda

[The Prototype]

So I have no idea where I stand, as someone that's part of the community being born intersex and identifying as non-binary. I was only two years ago diagnosed as intersex, it was a horrible experience and the treatment that I got at the clinic has left some mental scars. If I was diagnosed as a child I would have been assigned a gender by the doctors via surgery.

I am currently exploring my gender identity, I also wish to participate in some sports, as I was born male and still mostly male even though I am non-binary I will play as a male, as Dave Harding. There are many out there that I have come across that are going through a lot of turmoil trying to figure themselves out, and when they come to find themselves there's not a lot of positive comments.

In fact, when I came out as intersex and non-binary the comments I got weren't too kind either. The majority want to play sports, they want to live the gender they know they are, unfortunately their body doesn't match what their identity is. A lot aren't looking for any advantages and all that. They just want to be seen as normal, that's all I want is to be seen and treated as a normal person.

It's damn hard.

Honestly I see both sides of the argument, I can see why some wouldn't want trans athletes participating and all. But at the same time, there's a bunch of people that just want to live a normal life as the gender they know they are, which makes them trans and unfortunately it comes at a cost.

[think positive]

That’s a very brave post Dave and I feel for you, you have. Obviously faced a lot in your life.

I also feel for the group of people you are referring too. They should be able to live as the gender they believe they should have been born too. It must’ve terribly hard. I personally think they should be able to participate in life in that gender, however when it comes to segregated sport, I truly believe it’s not fair to biological women. There are a lot of sports out there that are not gender segregated. Gender segregation in sport is done for a reason, because biological females cannot compete with biological males on a level playing field.

You only have to watch WAFL to see that. Or check the world record times of swimmers and athletes in any category.

In life nobody, or very few people, get to do everything they want. That’s life.


I wish you all the best xxx Thankyou for you very well thought out post.

[David]

[pietillidie]

Well done for sharing, Dave. That's no doubt a grappling with life and the self that few would understand.

Have you got a good support circle around you?

[stui magpie]

Thanks for sharing that Dave, as David said it does reinforce the point that at the end of the day this is about people just wanting to live their live.

[The Prototype]

[The Prototype]

Well done for sharing, Dave. That's no doubt a grappling with life and the self that few would understand.

Have you got a good support circle around you?

Thanks, it has been a hard road, and I've been slowly getting some people around me I have limited who can see a lot of what I post about some subjects as well after a bit of some not so good feedback.

It's gotten a little easier, just trying to figure out my own brain now.

[The Prototype]

That’s a very brave post Dave and I feel for you, you have. Obviously faced a lot in your life.

I also feel for the group of people you are referring too. They should be able to live as the gender they believe they should have been born too. It must’ve terribly hard. I personally think they should be able to participate in life in that gender, however when it comes to segregated sport, I truly believe it’s not fair to biological women. There are a lot of sports out there that are not gender segregated. Gender segregation in sport is done for a reason, because biological females cannot compete with biological males on a level playing field.

You only have to watch WAFL to see that. Or check the world record times of swimmers and athletes in any category.

In life nobody, or very few people, get to do everything they want. That’s life.


I wish you all the best xxx Thankyou for you very well thought out post.

Thanks a lot,

It's a very hard one, I am trying to navigate and understand where I fit into the world so I can imagine it would be difficult for others and would be hard for world sporting bodies to understand where to go and what to say to appease everyone and have a fair outcome.

It's such a very hard one.

[pietillidie]

Well done for sharing, Dave. That's no doubt a grappling with life and the self that few would understand.

Have you got a good support circle around you?

Thanks, it has been a hard road, and I've been slowly getting some people around me I have limited who can see a lot of what I post about some subjects as well after a bit of some not so good feedback.

It's gotten a little easier, just trying to figure out my own brain now.

Keep cutting your own path, Dave. I've got no doubt it's a tough gig, but the peace within will also no doubt be worthwhile.

You're amongst friends here, so don't hesitate to share whatever's on your mind or to explore topics. And feel free to ping me anytime if the world is getting you down; I've done a lot of listening in my time and have always been considered different myself.

[What'sinaname]

It's unfair for biological males (chromosome XY) to compete with biological females (chromosome XX)

Correct, but read the replies, David seems to think men and women are exactly the same, which seriously makes me wonder how his son was conceived!

Men are born with physical advantages, strength speed, ability to grow bigger muscles in a shorter amount of time.

Yes ther are women with freakish abilities, as there is also men with freakish abilities, we can’t all be Michael Jordan or Serena Williams.

So to the point of trying to be. If a male is not good enough to be a top athlete as a man, why should he get the chance as a female? No I’m not saying that’s why transgenders transition at all, although I would not put it past the Chinese to do it! You can say what you like, that someone was born female in a male body, the male body part being crucial to this discussion. No amount of hormone treatment or operations can change a male body into a female one, it’s impossible.

Not fair? Trans have feelings? Trans feel left out? Welcome to the world of every single living female on the planet at some point in their life.

Women have fought long and hard for equal rights, and women should have the right to only compete against other women, biological women, not manufactured women, in sporting categories where competitors have always always competed as per their sex.

Am I saying that transsexual women are not real women? I’m saying they are not and can never be real biological women.I empathise with anyone who feels they are in the wrong body, but you don’t get to make the change and then go oh wow, I’m faster, stronger, etc compared to other women, when really, your not other women. So tell me, how many women have become men and competed in physical sporting events? At the top level. It will never happen. Because the fittest, strongest, fastest women will never ever be equal to the fittest fastest strongest males. Thars life, that’s fair.

Call me what you want I don’t give a flying ****.

Start a special category.

Maybe we can fix this by changing Woman's sports to Birthing Person's sports

AFLW becomes AFLBP
WNBA becomes BPNBA

[stui magpie]

I genuinely dislike that term, plus there are biological women who, for one reason or another, are unable to have children.

[What'sinaname]

I genuinely dislike that term, plus there are biological women who, for one reason or another, are unable to have children.

I don't think you have to have given birth to be a birthing person, it's more that you need to have the bits that would be necessary for that job - whether they work or not.

I saw that chest-feeding birthing parent has traction in the US and might work in this situation.

[stui magpie]

I hope not.

[David]

PC does, in fact, sometimes go mad

[stui magpie]

Sometimes I think it would be a great idea if, somehow, we could create a new country where all the mad progressives could go if they wanted instead of complaining about where they are. A new Isreal, but chock full of climate change alarmists who want everyone to get equal pay regardless of what they do, everyone gets to pick their gender, 4 day 30 hour working week and everyone is Vegan.

I'd love to see how it would work.