In Connecticut, two teenage boys who identify as girls have come 1st and 2nd in the girls' 100m sprint

[OrchidInTheSun]

twitter.com/GameTimeCT/status/1003739370736816129

Reposted from Feminism Chat as more people need to see this.

Neither Miller nor Yearwood have got times that would be remotely remarkable for boys (200th and 443rd respectively) but they are smashing the girls' records out of the park as now they identify as girls, they're allowed to race them instead.

Watch the face of the girl who comes third. That's pretty much her best ever 100m race. But she didn't win.

Self identification means this kind of thing will keep on happening. If you value women's sport and think that women and girls deserve to compete on a level playing field, please sign the petition: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/214118

So trans women have adopted female gender but not female sex

So if I cut my hair short, stop wearing makeup and bind my breasts then I magically turn into a man?

Interesting.

YANBU.

I have a daughter into running and sport and this fucks me off, no matter how hard she practices and trains being born male gives you advantages. No operation can take that advantage away.

As a parting shot, I note that the kids on the video are 14 and 15. I think it’s unfair to use them to make a political point, particularly one that attracts a lot of anger (rightly or wrongly). I’d urge people who have strong feelings against trans women to leave individual trans women and especially trans children out of it. Honestly, it could really upset and affect someone deeply to find out they are a viral sensation.

Women will never achieve sexual equality in situations where physiology gives men clear advantages. Testosterone is only a small part of that advantage. Heart and lung capacity, proportions (length of limbs, shape of pelvis), even the type and function of muscle tissue, all work in favour of male athletes.

TIM should compete with other males or not at all.

I don't have any bad feelings towards transpeople but if something is unfair I will say so.

TIM should compete with other males or not at all

Or indeed get told the same as women did “there’s not enough of you, you can play when you can field a team”

Peasooper- my argument is exactly the opposite. If something is inherently unfair that is a clue we should try to de-emphasise it. As I said above, competitive sports favour the able bodied so we should try to de-emphasise the advantages being good at sports brings (eg take away educational /financial advantages associated with it), and let people enjoy sport for its own sake.

longlost what you have just said is exactly the arguement that says that sports that reward the male physique should be kept sex-segregated so we can de-emphasise the advantage of a male physique as you suggest.

It doesn't matter whether you play for fun or for scholarships, the principle is the same. Otherwise you may a well just have one category and the males would win everything.

We other posters are saying that sport should model the more-fair society that I think you want

That is why we intervene and segregate by sex already, and why it would be a step backwards to allow gender identities to overrule biological sex.

Absolutely ridiculous

longlostpal perhaps they should have thought about that before they competed in a public event then.

I hear you Jacques - it took until my 30s (1990s) to find enough like-minded women who could make a Rugby Team. The men's squads were actually pretty good about it - we trained too hard for any sexist bullshit.

And now Women's Rugby is global - it's great.

One or two of the Twitter comments point at what this may be about.

Scholarships.

Bursaries for promising students that will help them through university.

Another Twitter comment posted this.

4thwavenow.com/2018/04/15/surly-shirley-and-the-assault-on-womens-sport-then-and-now/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

It's shit. I will sign.

I saw that too TerfandSerf - Shirley was lambasted for saying something was unfair when it was. Disgusting.

I think someone's self worth and self identity come a lot higher priority than who wins a sprint...

Even if you don't like sport, I don't see how you can't empathise with these girls. They will have spent possibly years training and competing and striving. Running clearly matters to them. You might not like it that sport opens doors in the U.S but why punish these particular girls for that? That's not dismantling the patriarchy. The U.S is tough in terms of competition. I want a world where girls are supported to be physically active and where various sports are viable careers for them and not just boys.

If it’s shit for the girl who came 3rd, it’s even more shit for the girls who came 4th and 5th. At least she’ll still get a medal.

Even though they may identify as women, they are still physically men, with the physical advantages over women. No op can alter that. So biological Females competing against biological Males in sport is unfaire.

@HateIsNotGood

And now Women's Rugby is global - it's great

Absolutely. Although I’m worried as to how long that will last.

I think someone's self worth and self identity come a lot higher priority than who wins a sprint..

So why do they have to take part. Surely that sprint is no more important to transwomen than women?

The only other thing would be if all the female runners started standing down

A win is only a win if you haven’t cheated

I thought this was an interesting article on it:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.gametimect.com/jeff-jacobs-as-records-fall-at-girls-state-open-track-debate-rages-over-transgender-issue/amp/

That link says blocked for legal reasons. Can you sum it up?

I think someone's self worth and self identity comes a lot higher priority than who wins a sprint...
But only if you're male, apparently. Obviously self worth isn't important for females.