Sharron Davies on Hardtalk with Steven Sackur

What a pleasure that was to listen to. She's great and really knows her stuff. Loved it when she challenged Sackur to say (and he didn't) that Caster Samenya was 46XY. And she pointed out the BBC's total failure to state this fact in their reporting. Clarifying how Caster would have been accurately identified as XY as a baby if she had been born in the UK and finishing by asking why the 3 medal winners in the women's 800m in Rio all had DSD if XY have no advantage over women was brilliant.
Outstanding!

He kept challenging the assertion (that she hadn't actually made), that no man would ever transition for gain.

But rankly, it's completely irrelevant. Their motivation doesn't determine whether it's fair or not. So it's a pointless to even raise the question.

To be fair, once you start talking about the sports issue especially, there aren't many questions a serious interviewer could ask with a straight face. I'm amazed they managed to do the whole piece without resorting to the usual 'hurt feelings' argument.

This:
Men: how did we let this happen?!
Women: well we did tell you...
Men: why didn't you speak out more?!

Why aren't more male sportspeople, or male sports commentators talking about this? Because it doesn't effect what (most) consider as real sport (the sort played by men obviously). And since, I think, many males have anxieties about female athletes anyway - don't look feminine enough, too muscular (are they more muscular than me?), too competitive, etc etc, they can't quite see why these 'unnatural' females shouldn't be nice to some other 'unnatural' females.

It really does seem that the rights of males are more important that the rights of females, even when those males don't want to be considered as males any more..............

pointed out Rachel McKinnon is doctor of philosophy not medical, is not a world class cyclist - masters in older age group and would be at age 70 plus level among men

It really puts it into perspective, doesn't it?

Like many men, he seems to (unconsciously?) believe that being a woman is so lowly and degrading, no man would try to 'become' one unless he was completely sincere. This seems to be at the root of the instinctual empathy many men have for men who 'identify' as women: a sort of horrified pity, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God etc.

Castration anxiety. Someone should tell them that this not the norm!

Like many men, he seems to (unconsciously?) believe that being a woman is so lowly and degrading, no man would try to 'become' one unless he was completely sincere. This seems to be at the root of the instinctual empathy many men have for men who 'identify' as women: a sort of horrified pity, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God etc.

This.

He kept challenging the assertion (that she hadn't actually made), that no man would ever transition for gain.

But rankly, it's completely irrelevant. Their motivation doesn't determine whether it's fair or not. So it's a pointless to even raise the question.

Also the irony -

Women: something is wrong
Men: meh
Women: no it's really wrong tho
Men: shut up moaning and being difficult

it is revealed something is wrong

Men: how did we let this happen?!
Women: well we did tell you...
Men: why didn't you speak out more?!

She was amazing. One of my idols anyway but my god, it's incredible we have her to speak for us. I remember hitting puberty alongside the boys I swam with and despite being high up there in the girls' events suddenly not being able to compete against boys. The sport was a lifeline for me as a bullied teen, gave me so much self esteem for my performance and let me experience of people who liked and respected me. Without a level playing field I am sure I would have felt despairing there too.

I'm surprised sackur didn't have better arguements, to be fair. It was odd to talk about the doping in the 80s, then look shocked at the suggestion that anyone would cheat at sport. Unless he thinks only East Germans would do such a thing.

Like many men, he seems to (unconsciously?) believe that being a woman is so lowly and degrading, no man would try to 'become' one unless he was completely sincere. This seems to be at the root of the instinctual empathy many men have for men who 'identify' as women: a sort of horrified pity, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God etc.

This is also the reason people keep calling men 'brave' for adopting feminine appearance norms. (Not just trans-identified men - drag queens also inspire an unreasonable level of genuflection for what usually amounts to tired schtick). I mean, rescuing someone from a burning building is brave. Putting on lipstick and growing your hair out objectively is not. It really says something about the way people see women, that they think men are brave for taking on some of our appearance norms.

She gets better every time I hear her speak about this and she started off pretty damn great as it is. Very impressive.

So calm, cool and collected.
So strong.

I was very impressed not by her knowledge, you would expect her to be an expert in sport but by her interviewee skills. Sticking to FACTS, having all of the relevant facts right there, not letting the derails get to her. She was brilliant!

I hope that this will be the thing that will get most people on our side -- the realisation that if biological males, whatever their later alterations, be that surgical or hormonal, are allowed to compete in female sports, then elite female sports will be useless for girls. No scholarships, no point training so hard year after year, because it will no longer be fair. And unlike the loo debates, just the presence of transwomen in a female sport makes the point, very directly and obviously to everyone.

But Sharron really does do a fantastic job!

Ruth Hunt was on HardTalk week ago. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00054hg/hardtalk-ruth-hunt-ceo-stonewall

Much gentler questioning that did not cut through the polished technique.

I haven't seen Hard Talk before but the intro was very reminiscent of Brass Eye.

Some of the actual discussion they have are very Brass Eye, too.

I'm surprised sackur didn't have better arguements, to be fair. It was odd to talk about the doping in the 80s, then look shocked at the suggestion that anyone would cheat at sport. Unless he thinks only East Germans would do such a thing.

listening

Well done Sharron that was phenomenal. How fantastic to have such an articulate and intelligent woman speaking up to protect women’s sport

Just listened - Sharron was fantastic.
Absolutely on point, with a polite and measured way of getting across exactly what she wanted to say

Sackur was pretty GF throughout, but watching the two of them chat over the end credits, it seemed more like he was in on it and maybe did that as a way to defend accusations of being soft on her?

I don't think so. They are always shown to be jovial with the interviewee at the end, or just civil if they've interviewed some particularly unsavoury individual. I thought Sackur was pretty good, he didn't get bogged down in transphobia nonsense, and he didn't talk over Sharron any more than he does with other guests.

Looking forward to catching up with this later. Thank you for standing up Sharron.

Sharon was amazing. I was punching the air while eating my lunch. The smug patronising interviewer was trying to discredit her from the start. ‘Why Didn’t you speak out, why didn’t you speak out?’ It was so transparent where he was going. Sharon even managed a few digs at the craven BBC. That was brilliant, thank you Sharon. I want to watch the documentary she did now.

Sackur was pretty GF throughout, but watching the two of them chat over the end credits, it seemed more like he was in on it and maybe did that as a way to defend accusations of being soft on her?

Just watched it on iPlayer, Sharon was indeed fantastic.
I haven't seen Hard Talk before but the intro was very reminiscent of Brass Eye.

Brilliant from Sharron. Notice how every time she nailed it, he changed tack because he had no answer. I know in Hard Talk it's Sackur's job to play devil's advocate but I wonder if he inwardly squirmed at having to make such ridiculous points in the face of devastating logic and biological knowledge from Sharron.

On the Castor issue it was great that she brought out the fact of the internal testes and if Castor had been born in the UK these would have been revealed early on via ultra sound and she would almost certainly been raised as a boy.

Sharron was fantastic. She was given a really hard time yet totally owned it. Totally professional and so well informed.

I too am really sad about her father and how he never got to be a national coach because he dared to question the drug fuelled east german cheating.

Sharron is the expert. And it showed.