Rowing and rugby

[lookluv]

Please, both sports stick up for actual women and ban trans women from competing in boats or teams.
I have been active in both sports at a high level but at no point have I ever come close to the speed strength or fitness of my male fellow sportsmen.

rowing the ultimate test over 2ks - fastest women ever in the world did 6m21 seconds - for a woman to get under 7 minutes - they are in an elite group.
In contrast the mens world record is 6mins 35 seconds - 70 yr old men go under 7 minutes ! 14 yr old boys race faster than the female world record holder.

If you put a born male gone through puberty as a male - in a women's boat of comparable ability this will give that boat a huge advantage - this is not equitable or fair by any stretch of the distorted woke view on a who can call themselves women

Likewise rugby, the evidence on how much stronger trans women are compared to women is abundant. The injuries with such a weight disparity will be catastrophic. As a 6ft 1 in woman I stopped playing rugby in the early days of womens rugby because i was being told not to tackle my opposing female team mates as hard - I weighed more and was stronger courtesy of rowing! When I concussed an opposing team mate who was 5ft 3 and petite I stopped playing.

In rowing, in the Paris, Olympics, Ollie Zeidler can win the men's single sculls, the NZ men's eight can win, the GB men's quad win and by 2028, the Irish win the pair - all decide to identify as women, reduce their teststerone levels and compete as women and win a second Olympic gold in the women's events - this farcical situation could happen. No one can tell me that a 6ft 8ins 100kgs female identifying Ollie Zeidler does not have an advantage over Emma Twigg the current female single sculls champion from NZ in a womens race. However, Emma Twigg idenitfying as a man for 2028 will not even reach the heats !

Trans women are not women, they are in a separate category especaily in sports where strength, endurance, height and speed matter.

When is this woke madness going to stop.
Sharon Davies - do not stop speaking up, you are the voice of sanity in a world gone mad.

What exactly is your AIBU?

apologies - meant to switch off voting

People campaigning for transwomen to be considered the same as genetic females are being unreasonable

YANBU but I read your thread title and thought you were arguing with your DH about rugby.

Rugby Union and league both have policies that protect women and girls now. It’s rowing and cycling that are the biggies that allow self-if of sex at any level.

I know it's the Mail but it's pretty relevant to this thread. The OP isn't wrong to worry

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12099673/Transgender-rugby-player-raises-thousands-bid-overthrow-safety-laws-banning-players-born-male.html

Rowing is currently allowing a vote and their is a campaign to allow transowmen into womens rugby teams - in the Press this week which riled me enough to post.

Sadly OH so slow on a rowing machine that I can beat him but he does agree

lookluv there’s big long threads about the rugby situation over in the Feminist boards if you want the full story. The fundraising that is mentioned in the Mail has now been pulled but it was started because England Rugby Union banned TW from playing with women. The TW in the story, Julie, really, really wants to knock women around in a rugby pitch and got upset, and threaten legal action. Even after the CEO from Stonewall tweeted about it and the tweet received 3.5million views, the crownfunder barely raised any money.
Turns out the general public don’t want mixed sex rugby. Just Julie.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4600403-rfu-votes-in-new-gender-policy

I play women's rugby and myself and my team mates (who have poured a tonne of time, money and dedication to set up a women's club) have all said we won't play if we have to allow biological males to play. It can be dangerous as it is, it's negligent to allow men to play- they can join the men's team. It actually makes me really fucking furious truth be told.

British Rowing recently had a member vote with options, including banning people who've gone through male puberty from competing as women. The situation pre-vote was that this was not possible, but they appear to recognise that this is a subject that their members want to decide for themselves. British Rowing's chair has commented that World Rowing's position is "less protective of women's sport than some other International Federations", and is obviously trying to address the issue within the UK.

I think if anyone can clearly show why this is so wrong it's Fallon Fox.

Completely agree pickledmeg the situation is appalling. WE know rugby is dangerous but accept the risks within the world of mens or womens rugby to increase that risk by letting men play as women is an avoidable and unnecessary risk to take with peoples lives.

Rowing - now elite woman is ever going to beat an elite man

rowing the ultimate test over 2ks - fastest women ever in the world did 6m21 seconds - for a woman to get under 7 minutes - they are in an elite group.
In contrast the mens world record is 6mins 35 seconds - 70 yr old men go under 7 minutes ! 14 yr old boys race faster than the female world record holder.

You've made a typo in there @lookluv you got the men's world record as slower than the women's the mens is 5mins 35 seconds which as you rightly point is a massive difference.

There should never be males in female sport, it should never even have been an issue, the Equality Act uses sport as an area where males should be denied even if they have a GRC.

The males who want to play in women's sport are no more than cheats and they are not being denied playing the sport they love they can play in their sex category. However, being male they believe they should be given whatever they want and care not one jot for the women whose places they are taking nor the women who they injure, it's pure spite, selfishness and misogyny.

No man should be in any female team at any level, it’s dangerous and unfair.

Dd was briefly part of a women’s rugby team who were disgusted at the decision to keep TW out of women’s rugby, and before dd left (she didn’t feel comfortable having such opposing views, and definitely didn’t want to compete against a man - it’s dangerous enough female only!) were trying to form another organisation that would allow TW to play with and against women. Interestingly there were no TW on the team, and none had played against a TW.

I don’t understand any woman prioritising men like this.

I don’t understand any woman prioritising men like this.

Nor do I, I find it contemptible.

If my 10yo girl can't play next season with her current Rugby team as some of the boys will be at Secondary school... how can adult males suddenly become eligible to play in women's teams?

(Shes currently in a bit of a fix as shes too old to play mixed Rugby but too young for Girls Rugby as she isn't at Secondary school herself)

What really irks me with all this inclusion crap is the total unwillingness to even entertain the idea that if you choose to mess with nature in such a fundamental way, then maybe, just maybe, there are a couple of life pathways that aren't open to you because of your physical history. The wanting to have everything at the expense of natural born women is the height of selfishness.