Laurel Hubbard wins gold

[TundraDweller]

Gearing up for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics -

www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/114222068/laurel-hubbard-wins-gold-at-pacific-games-after-losing-name-surpression-battle

Thanks for that information, Jessica. It is indeed very sad. I can't believe it is happening.

I could cry a river at the horrific prejudices that all Māori and other Polynesian women have to live with. I could write a book. Most people don’t know the true extent of it. Every statistic is full of Māori and Polynesian women, we are the most abused, the most incarcerated, the most ignored, we fill all the worst health stats, all the worst stats around education, we are the poorest.

This kind of shit is institutional.

This has been so easy for Hubbard to do without much opposition, because the sport isn’t dominated by white women in the Pacific. It might still have happened, but I wouldn’t be too sure.

That's really depressing Jessica. The whole sorry situation is very clear when you lay it out like that.

This has been so easy for Hubbard to do without much opposition, because the sport isn’t dominated by white women in the Pacific.

Hadn't realised this Jessica , thanks for the insight.

Thanks for the context Jessica. Those podium shots are really depressing to witness.
The blame for this as a PP days absolutely rests 100% with the sports authority bodies. There will always be massive male entitlement and lack of shame, but there should be already in place, robust systems that prevent that entitlement from being actualised. It is not transphobic to disallow women’s sport to be fucked over like this by People who have been through Male Puberty.

As PP have said- the damage is done now. Because of these fucking ludicrous rules ignoring female relative disadvantage physiologically (to prioritise a completely political, non-reality-based position instead)- we now have ‘Women’s’ records, legitimately achieved by People who have been through Male Puberty. Women who have been through Female puberty will not be able to beat those records because of unchangeable, relative female disadvantage. It’s absolutely shameful what is happening. We should not ignore the further race and class dimensions of this particular situation. And the NZ authorities’ hashtag #EarnTheFern is utterly complacent and insulting to women given this scenario.

There are sports you won’t really find Polynesians in, some because of the inherent racism- a very well respected cricketer said Māori people can’t usually play cricket when a Māori player was selected once.

You’ll find in rugby, something Polynesians are naturally good at and dominate globally, they are always the players and never the CEO’s, top refs or even commentators and sports journos. Brown people are the entertainment and get bought and sold between unions and clubs around the world, at great cost to their own country’s chances and to their cultural connections and traditions. White people of British decent usually, make all the decisions and front the organisations and media- and make most of the money.

Sport is one of the few real opportunities Polynesians have to help their large families who survive on small and developing islands. It’s always a tragedy when they are cheated from the success they work harder for. Genuinely gutted by this.

That's appalling, Jessica. But TBH it doesn't seem to make a huge difference in other sports either. Women, any women, simply don't matter. Add in the racial element and son-of-billionaire and those weight-lifters don't stand a chance. The only hopeful thing I saw, last year, was Austra lia kicking up and saying it shouldn't be allowed in weightlifting. That was probably because they didn't have anyone brave and stunning to snaffle all the medals, themselves.

If certain countries start winning all the time, other countries will think it's a good idea. :( Nobody seems to care about being seen as fucking cheats.

I’m really fucking angry. I’m angry anyway because of this shit but after reading the context in the Pacific, I’m really fucking angry for those women. I know many male New Zealander’s of Maori decent have excelled at rugby, been offered playing careers here in the UK and have stayed here. The women have never had that opportunity. The Olympics offer sportswomen a tremendous opportunity to travel and gain international exposure in sports that won’t offer them a living salary. People like LH are taking that opportunity away.
If you are involved in sport I urge you to write to your governing body and I think we should also write to the IOC. Let’s keep the pressure on.

Brown people are the entertainment and get bought and sold

Jeeeeeeezus.

Hadn't thought about it like that. Am ashamed of myself - this exactly what is going on in sport, I'd noticed the white men in charge, but genuinely hadn't thought about it from a racism perspective.

Fucking hell.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria
Yeah, it’s part of why I don’t watch these types of sports anymore. Once it’s pointed out to you, you can’t not see it

The women have never had that opportunity

Yes that’d true too. The female rugby players are amazing considering they still have to work, consistently at the top.

I'm wondering if there is any way we can show solidarity with these women, especially given the context being illuminated by Jessica . I know it's not much, given the circumstances and shit situations they face, but on the JY thread someone had mentioned sending postcards/cards of support to the lawyer of SG to show her that women around the world were standing with her and aware of what is going on and that things might not be changing this instant but women everywhere are gearing up fighting stuff like this, so they are not on their own. Anyone else done this or thinking of it/know where to send anything?

i.stuff.co.nz/national/114218682/victims-of-laurel-hubbard-crash-appalled-at-sentence-and-suppression

This is about Hubbard’s father:

Back in 2004, Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard outraged the LGBT community:

The gay community has won a historic victory in achieving legal recognition for same-sex partnerships, but has been stung by a last-minute push against civil unions by Auckland City’s mayor.

The same day that Parliament voted 65-55 to pass the legislation, Mayor Dick Hubbard sparked outrage as details were revealed of a letter he had signed urging MPs to oppose the bill on the basis that the children of gay couples were more likely to be victims of abuse and murder.

Good grief. What a tool Hubbard Snr is.

Good grief. What a tool Hubbard Snr is.

It's amazing Hubbard Jnr. turned out so well :-)

Imagine growing up with such a homophobic father. I wonder what he thinks about transgenderism

Dds age 10 and 12 were separately shown LH's photo, no text, no comment from me. I often show them things of interest like this when they are doing my hair to gauge reactions without giving them any clue as to what I think. I merely put the picture on my phone and put the phone on top of my head for them to look at and see what they say. Dd10 said "H looks weird. Like a girl" (I'll be speaking to her about the "like a girl" bit as she's quite stereotyped in how she sees people.) Dd12 came into the room asking what we were looking at and I showed her the picture. "That's a m*n." She said. I then explained the situation and they were outraged by the unfairness of it all and said they felt sorry for the women.

They are very inclusive children but they see through this shit instantly.

Seems to be a thing with MTF transitioners, Jess.

There is often a background of parents who adhere to rigid gender roles in the home, homophobic environment (often religious or military) and general dysfunction.

Look at JY and their parent at the tribunal in Canada.

Some parallels, I'm sure.

I didn't think I could have anymore contempt for Hubbard than I had on seeing the first picture but turns out I can. Rich entitled fucker buying their own sports facility then fucking over the future of young women of colour.

The white men buying and selling brown players for entertainment encapsulates something I'd been very uncomfortable with but struggled to explain why.

Here's Charisma Amoe Tarrant, who Hubbard cheated out of a third place medal:

twitter.com/RKEV3131/status/1150363428508377088

This article was written after the Commonwealth Games last year, but I think it is worth posting for its thoughtful analysis of the problems surrounding the inclusion of Laurel Hubbard in women's weightlifting.

Laurel Hubbard is both a formidable weightlifter and a human conundrum. Born in New Zealand in 1978, she lived until her early thirties as Gavin, the child of a former mayor of Auckland. Then she decided to transition to become female and to compete as an elite athlete using her reassigned gender. The upshot? A labyrinthine legal and ethical mess, for which the Commonwealth Games offer just a fleeting platform. Come the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Hubbard is likely to present such an insoluble dilemma that her case will make Bleak House's Jarndyce versus Jarndyce seem a pushover

The essential problem with Hubbard is the amount of residual benefit she carries from living the majority of her life as a man. On average, men outperform women in weightlifting and other strength events by as much as 25 per cent, courtesy of bigger lungs, stronger bones and greater muscle mass. The athletic advantage that Hubbard has herself gleaned suggests as much. As a man, the Kiwi scarcely registered in the sport at international level. Today, as a woman, she is a world-beater, having already broken Commonwealth records and won a silver medal at her maiden world championships.

Still, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) allowed her to perform in Gold Coast, upholding its credo of "fairness, non-discrimination and inclusion"

The point is, 'fairness' to transgender athletes means that women athletes then experience discrimination and exclusion from their chosen sports.

www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12029454

It's the confirmation that men (as a group) don't have your (women as a group) back that really shocks, isn't it? Shocks maybe the wrong word, but disappoints isn't strong enough.

How the authorities thought this was right I'll never know and the same goes for all the de facto self id stuff in other areas.

Upholding it's credo of "fairness, non discrimination and inclusion"

As this whole farce shows men are only ever concerned about fairness, non discrimination and inclusion for men

Just appalling. If the IOC allow Hubbard to compete next year, the floodgates will open. There’s nothing to stop other nations putting trans athletes in too. The Chinese could put a few of their mediocre lifters in and they would annihilate every weight category.