To think Laurel Hubbard should not be competing against other women

[Belle82]

I know I am going to get ripped apart for this.

I have no problem with the transgender community, that is your life/body and I am not one to judge anyone else, do what makes you happy.

There is something fundamentally wrong about a person who is biologically a man competing against a woman in sport as significant as weightlifting.
I am not taking anything away from women weightlifters, however when competing in that sport, a person who was born a man will always have an unfair advantage over a woman.

I am all for equal rights but it seems political correctness has now put us in a position that we will only consider the equal rights of those in the transgender community. What happens to the equal rights of all the other women who have worked extremely hard to get to the olympics who should be competing against biological women.

There needs to be clearer cut criteria on entrance requirements to every sport, to give every person the equal rights they deserve.

My heart goes out to all the other women competing who I’m sure must be somewhat disheartened about their chances of success now they are competing against a biological man.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/29/ioc-praises-weightlifter-laurel-hubbard-ahead-of-transgender-athletes-olympic-debut

Yanbu. And it’s gpod that you posted in Aibu as more women need to know that this kind of thing is going on. Threads like these should be brought into the light not just hidden away on a specialist board.

Of course it’s unfair. Sports are sex segregated, sex segregation began thousands of years before anyone had a concept of ‘gender’ as separate. People can identify with whatever gender they want, but sports and areas where safety and fairness are a concern should remain sex segregated.

I hope she wins gold. I hope she smashes every record going for women. Lifts twice as much as the next closest.

Then the world can see what an absolute travesty it is for women's sport.

YANBU.

Other women?

Of course it's unfair. But a male person's wish to have a feminine identity validated in all places at all times is more important than actual women's safety and sporting integrity and fairness.

And anyone who disagrees and thinks natal sex sometimes matters is a hateful transphobe who hates all trans people and thinks they should never be allowed to live authentically.

At first I wondered if this was because male people usually get their wishes validated, but that can't be it because gay men were oppressed for long enough and in some ways still are. I think it's more because women are always supposed to be the ones to give up and take consequences and look happy while they do it.

It's disgraceful. Even if Hubbard doesn't win, the fact that she's there at all as a competitor, at the exclusion of the young Maori women who could have that spot, and suddenly world class at 43 and after a bad injury, proves how much male advantage she retains.

I saw somewhere that Caitlyn Jenner, a trans women and athlete, said trans women shouldn't be competing in women's sports.

I agree with you op.

It is unfair and ridiculous. They know they are cheating. They know we know they are cheating. Particularly upsetting at the Olympics which has been the one place women’s sport really has been celebrated for generations. The people who do it are awful as are every person who has allowed this.

Current voting figures before this inevitably gets moved to the naughty corner and the voting is taken away.
97% agree with you, OP. Seems pretty conclusive on majority opinion.

@NashvilleQueen

I hope she wins gold. I hope she smashes every record going for women. Lifts twice as much as the next closest.

Then the world can see what an absolute travesty it is for women's sport.

TBH I have a fear that Laurel Hubbard will deliberately fail so the narrative will then become 'See, no unfair advantage'.

if your are mtf to have to have certain rules in place before you can compete with women

If you are ftm then you can compete with men, no restrictions at all.

What does that say

This should absolutely stay on this board. The Olympics is a global international forum. What happens there matters and we should be able to discuss it on sections of mumsnet other than FWR.

I opened the thread just to say Lauren Hubbard shouldn't be competing against women but I see I've been beaten to it.

Lauren Hubbard is a transwoman, not a woman. Biological men should not be competing against biological women because they have a huge advantage.

You are 100% correct, OP.

And my DAunt who is all for being kind thinks that I am wrong for thinking this is wrong.

I pointed out that a young and poor woman from Nauru lost out on a place for this rich white biological male.

where does she stand on that?

No answer.

I think everyone knows this. It does serve to highlight the crashing inequality though so in that respect may be very useful if she wins.

YANBU

Travesty. No male bodies should be allowed in women’s sport.

YANBU

Laurel Hubbard is a cheat. I do know how Laurel and the other cheats can look themselves in the mirror.

Yup. Lauren Hubbard identifies as a woman but is biologically male. Males and females have been segregated in sport because of the necessary and legitimate aim.of safeguarding fair competition and protecting the ability of female athletes to compete on a level playing field.

These are the IOC's words in a document they wrote which defended the legitimate segregation of sport into male and female categories based on who had gone through male puberty.

Yes there are other places for this discussion but unless it comes into mainstream discussion, the landscape of sport will change utterly.

This is the first year where GB have sent more females to the Olympics than males yet one of the medal winners had to crowdfund her own expenses as the funding for the female team was removed.

Female sport is not a level playing field with more funding going to male players.

Allowing male bodied people to compete in the female competition puts an even greater barrier in the way of female participation in sport at all levels.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/22/women-olympics-team-gb-brightest-stars-tokyo-games

Well if this is about inclusivity then I assume the Olympics are allowing able-bodied people to participate in the paralympics? “Yes, I can walk but I identify as a wheelchair user”.

People post stuff in aibu all the time which doesn't belong here. I actually take great issue with people's sex lives being shoehorned into aibu but it's left to stand regularly. Natal males taking top sporting places from women should be allowed in aibu when everything else is with no thought to other people's preferences. It's not a conversation about ideology but about fairness. It needs to happen out in the open.

@Taliskerskye

if your are mtf to have to have certain rules in place before you can compete with women

If you are ftm then you can compete with men, no restrictions at all.

What does that say

That says it all.

If you are a woman, and you specifically opened this thread to attempt to silence a woman concerned about women, be ashamed of yourselves

Very well said jules

Yanbu belle82

TBH I have a fear that Laurel Hubbard will deliberately fail so the narrative will then become 'See, no unfair advantage'.
She might lose anyway, she is literally 2 decades older than the usual medal winners and had an injury that is usually career ending 3 years ago, but because she isn’t competing in a fair playing field ie against other males, her career is back. If she loses it will just be because she’s an ageing geriatric in weightlifting terms.

We are mid Olympics - it’s a topical, relevant issue and many of us are women and/or have daughters who play sport. Female Olympians are something for young sporty girls to look up to - a male in the women’s category serves as a great big Fuck You to women and girls. It absolutely belongs in AIBU.

People should ask themselves why this is the only subject that can't be discussed openly? Why is this the elephant in the room?