Highland Games may open up to transgender entrants

[Igneococcus]

"Scottish Athletics are being a wee bit progressive." Says the secretary of the SHGA.
As a Highland&Island resident I'm quite amused by the mad scramble to look progressive.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/highland-games-may-open-up-to-transgender-entrants-fvmgcwpnr?shareToken=cb78de54e24f71877d2e80f298445674

I believe kilts are the dress code so how will we know? Unless the wind blows.

You wouldn't see the heels on the muddy fields that most of the HG are held around here.

I was reading about this yesterday: www.scotsman.com/sport/sexist-highland-games-urged-to-bring-in-gender-balance-1-4849885

Never mind the NBs,

Examples of gender discrimination include Invercharron Highland Games where women enter a hill race against men but there is no handicapping involved to help women compete equally. The first woman back gets a second prize, and the second woman back get a third prize – meaning they receive less prize money than men. Tain only has two races for women. In all other events women compete against men with no handicapping.

That is really unfair TimeLady Why can they not count it as two separate events even if run together?

Is that a caber you're tossing or do you still have issues?

I believe kilts are the dress code so how will we know? Unless the wind blows.

My images were from a book titled
"Kilted Yoga". Seems like a progressive sport to add to the program.

Actually, it doesn't sound too bad. Firstly, it sounds like the primary issue is to introduce the handicapping so women can compete fairly - overdue but a good thing. Secondly, they don't seem to be saying transwomen should compete as women but that there should be a 'nonbinary' gender category. Thirdly, some events might be suitable to be open '“It may turn out that all bagpipers could compete against each other regardless of sex/gender' ... I don't know how much lung size and strength matters in cat strangling bagpipe playing, but that sounds like a reasonable thing to look at - and note the guy did say 'sex/gender' so hopefully not a conflator.

Apologies for detailing sensible discussion with silliness.

derailing

I love bagpipes, I'm not even Scottish (or British).
I had a look at the local games site and every single former competion winner has a male name. The entry form doesn't ask for sex (or gender). I don't know if that means it's open for anybody and it just happened to have been won by men every year. The high school pipeband, who frequently win competitions and are at the New York tartan parade most years, are at least as many girls as boys. I know two girls who are going to study traditional music this coming university year both with pipes as their main instrument.