AIBU to think it was never that complicated to define a woman.

[Abisequer]

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled that eligibility for the women’s category of Olympic events will now be limited to biological females, starting from the LA 2028 Games.

AIBU to think the category ‘women’ was never complicated and the obfuscation by certain governing bodies has compromised fairness in sport for women.

Examples of obfuscation include claims that genital checking would be needed or that biological men with lowered testosterone would be on an even playing field with biological women.

AIBU to think it was never complicated to define a woman and a cheek swab is all it takes.

Article

World Swimming tried introducing a category for trans identifying athletes.

It had zero entries.

They're not even worth acknowledging. You're right, it's an immature self interest and more and more people are recognising that.

This thread is refreshing, it's been a crazy ten (plus) years with so very much damage done to women and girls, while sane people observed in horror and disbelief, and I'm glad it's finally coming to an end.

The question is why would they have their own category?

The research shows that if a male person with a transgender identity on estrogen trains to peak performance, they regain their loss. So if they choose to suppress testosterone, which is unhealthy for them in the long term as well as having some short term implications, that is their choice. The identity is based on a philosophical belief and there is no biological marker supporting that identity. So, therefore it is decision to suppress their performance.

If an inclusive games wishes to hold events, then they should do so. However, why should a competitive event hold a category for people choosing to limit their performance or in the case of a female athlete, use a performance enhancing supplement?

In the case of male people, that gives male people two chances of winning an event. They could win the male event and they could win that transgender category event. That is actually discriminatory to all other male athletes who cannot qualify for that event but would win the event on performance, if you know what I mean.

I remember being 8 and a friend at school told me about some film where a man could have a baby, and how cool it was. This was in the 90s and I remember thinking, that was impossible and sounded ridiculous (or the 8 year old equivalent). If I had known what society was about to unravel …. I mean, children know who is a man and who is a woman. It’s basic instinct and irrefutable regardless of what medical procedures you have.

Yes, the interest isn't there.

If trans identified athletes wanted to have their own specific events and there were enough interest to make them viable, fine. People can do things and other people can watch them. But they're not currently up for it, and even if they were, it's got nothing to do with the need for sex based definitions of what a woman is.

Thank you OP. As @SidekickSylvia pointed out - this is a refreshing thread. So much damage has been done and it's great that this tanker is finally turning.

Not wishing to derail but if you're a parent of a teenage child you may want to take a look at this thread where a courageous 15 year old and her father are taking on a secondary school insisting that girls undress in PE changing rooms in front of teenage boys.

All parents need to be speaking up if our children are in schools like this. Although I suspect it's a minority of schools, the fact that certain schools have illegally imposed mixed sex changing rooms and toilets on children needs to be challenged. There's lots of useful advice on the thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5507367-mixed-sex-changing-rooms-in-a-brighton-secondary-school-part-3-were-really-cooking-now?page=1

(sorry OP - not meaning to derail - but some of our children face this daily and need our support)

Statistical noise.

Generally you can ignore 5% of anything.

No it was never complicated until men decides to complicate things in order to fit their own agenda & fetish needs by taking advantage of their male privilege.

Absolutely this

We could make anything complicated if we worked on it and men demanded it.

Weren't they offered their own categories and they said no! because it meant that the rest of the world wouldn't be validating them to be 'real' women. (In the case of transwomen).

The rot set in when they put "LGB" into a vice with "TQ+" is my opinion.

So true, well put.

Fantastic start but I think there is still more the IOC need to do to ensure there are no loopholes.

My thoughts are with all the female athletes who gave lost out to cheating men like the 2016 800m trio. Athletes like Lynsey Sharp who lost out on medals and the associated benefits.

Op YANBU, it has never actually been complicated but there have been plenty of people who have tried to convince us otherwise.

I feel for all the transmen who can no longer compete with biological men. There are so many of them aren't there?

It is a very stark point in its asymmetry.

on twitter they are trying to leverage the female athletes who are clearly not taking testosterone and competing as female people in the female sports events but with a transgender identity. It simply doesn’t work on any level except to show that those female people with transgender identities know exactly what sex they are when it comes to competition.

And also that trans people are not banned from competition. They just need to follow the same rules as everyone else and compete in their correct sex category.

These are people who've never been told no, Every boundary they've wanted to breach has been open to them.
So the whining and moaning is epic as women are steadily being handed our rights back and society is finally starting to say "stop gaslighting vulnerable children"

YANBU, of course.

The male category is an open category, and trans men can get a TUE for testosterone, so no barriers to competing.

Other than the barrier of being biological female so highly unlikely to be competitive against biological males …

YANBU.

I hope the IOC will stick to its guns.

It's great news, long overdue.

I read a trans claim the other day that WI groups "all over the country" are closing due to the trans "women" ban.

I can only find any evidence that just 12 out of 6,300.

They may indeed be ones from Lands End to John O'Groats but they're hardly a significant number, are they?

I am so delighted that 300 votes have all gone the same way in this thread.

about time women got their sporting category back.

"The male category is an open category, and trans men can get a TUE for testosterone, so no barriers to competing.

Other than the barrier of being biological female so highly unlikely to be competitive against biological males …"

Exactly my point. Bio males (TW) on the other hand.....

YANBU

I can’t remember which interview I watched - it wasn’t this one. But the way caster talks about women. It’s very clear in my mind that they don’t see themselves as one.