Martina Navratilova on trains in sport

mobile.twitter.com/LabelFreeBrands/status/1354753411879583744

Unfortunately this is what happens when a formerly mediocre runner switches to the female category. Second video clip embedded in tweet timeline

I want to be a train.

I train every day.

How can anyone not like trains? I am shocked! Not sure they should be included in sports competitions though, neither men's nor women's.

Little worried about how my username is going to be perceived now…

Thanks for this, will listen later

twitter.com/dearaSeattle/status/1357136949618700289?s=20

Saw this on twitter.
twitter.com/LabelFreeBrands/status/1303178820829102080?s=20

He also kept mentioning the rights of all pupils, but somehow managed not to consider that the girls had rights too.

Yes - interesting omission - plus of course no one is saying children who identify as transgender shouldn’t play sports - as he was hiding behind - but just that they should play in the sport of their sex.

As Martina N said - this should be based on facts not feelings or emotions - because facts don’t sit well with this ideology and the feelings and emotions of girls don’t get a look in.

This is Biden's Education Secretary being grilled on the issue twitter.com/cspan/status/1357003971576147973?s=20

The senator was unflappable in his questioning in the face of the total non - answers. the person in charge of education didn't feel at all comfortable, nor free to express his view. simply kept repeating the party line. How can people live with themselves when they say something that they don't truly believe in.

He also kept mentioning the rights of all pupils, but somehow managed not to consider that the girls had rights too.

On Twitter the comments were scary but the many replies to the comments were heartening.

I know it’s Twitter but the comments under that clip are scary. So many people believe that it is right for sport to be based on ‘gender’ rather than sex.

[quote Xanthangum]This is Biden's Education Secretary being grilled on the issue. twitter.com/cspan/status/1357003971576147973?s=20[/quote]
While I agree with what he said in principle he really didn't help himself by banging on about boys running in track events. He should have said transgirls. Not every boy is looking to run in track events.

She was great. Calm, straightforward and brilliantly crushed any hint that biology is in question.
But I was disappointed she didn't talk about how unfair it is that done trains, particularly high-speed, have a massive advantage over female runners.

[quote Xanthangum]This is Biden's Education Secretary being grilled on the issue. twitter.com/cspan/status/1357003971576147973?s=20[/quote]
I don’t know who the questioner was in that clip, but he took a Staniland-style line and stuck with it. The Education Secretary had no answer beyond the inclusion/be kind line. Surprisingly effective.

jj1968: People using trains in sports is clearly unfair, especially for things like long distance running, I agree with Martina on this.

prisencolinensinainciusol2: Derail.

I suddenly love you both.

This is Biden's Education Secretary being grilled on the issue. twitter.com/cspan/status/1357003971576147973?s=20

Ross Tucker's take on this is very informative, for people who're not already familiar with it:
twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1333017543745953792

Ross Tucker is the sports scientist who led the scientific survey for World Rugby on trans inclusion. (In a nutshell his conclusion was: you either have safety and fairness, or you have inclusion, but you can't have all three.)

I listened to the earlier interview at about 06.50 and he was brilliant in it.
You know he just wanted to tell the interviewee she was talking shit and that the whole thing is ridiculous.

Derail.

The future of women's sport.
m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/terry-miller-andraya-yearwood-transgender-sprinter/

What does she think happens to a man's body when they identify as female?
I see more and more lately the argument that it's not unfair because TWAW so the fact that they are stronger, faster etc just means they are great WOMEN athletes. The cognitive dissonance is deafening.

It is just such infuriating madness and I don't get it. There may be some wiggle in other areas of this debate but it is pure madness when it comes to women's sports.

These reports that advantage is decreased by female hormones, it is such rubbish and anyone with eyes can see its not true, but frankly I don't CARE!! female bodies are not just male bodies with lower testosterone, they are different in every way and we have sports for that reason.

Megan rapinho would not be captain of her world Cup beating side if a transwoman comes along, does she know that? What does she think happens to a man's body when they identify as female?

Makes me angry, this does, because more than any other part of this debate its an insult to what our bodies have to go through and what physical sacrifices women make.

Do we really want to teach our girls that fairness no longer matters as much as "being kind"??

Apparently so. Often the argument is that MTF trans people have a really tough time so they should be allowed to win, and female people with their privilege should suck it up and be happy for them. There was some awful Guardian article by a male TRA ally saying just that.