More or Less Radio 4 Trans Women in Sport

[TheAbbotOfUnreason]

On Radio 4, just starting now, looking at stats and data on testosterone.

Yes this should be interesting. They trailed it as “trans gender athletes” but we all know they aren’t talking about trans men!

Thanks for this. Will tune in.

On now.

My solution to this "complex" issue is to boot all men out of women's sport.

I was just coming on to post

Swimming 200 yds is not a sprint distance!

I love Ross Tucker

@Triphazards

My solution to this "complex" issue is to boot all men out of women's sport.

Yup.

The fact that the idea of putting males into women's sport isn't laughed out of the room in the first instance is misogyny in action.

There is nothing to discuss and it's not complex or difficult.

Get men out of women's sport.

Listening now. Ross Tucker being EXTREMELY clear. Thank you.

Liked the analogy of entry to the men’s room and the women’s room is determined by the effect of testosterone during development.

That was actually really clear and thank you Ross Tucker for using accurate research and explaining why, even with testosterone reduction, anyone born male has an unfair advantage over anyone born female in sports.

Just finished listening to it. I'd agree that Ross Tucker was incredibly clear and I also loved the analogy. I can imagine that if it was a subject you weren't aware of at all, it would be really helpful in terms of explaining it.

I’ve emailed them to thank them for this. It’s taken a while but good to hear.

twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1484469424837074947
He has a brilliant explanation on his Twitter here - can someone please archive it before he gets hounded off?

@TheAbbotOfUnreason

Swimming 200 yds is not a sprint distance!

And men are not called "she."

That was excellent, Ross Tucker put it very well. Let’s face it, reducing testosterone after puberty is like locking the stable door when the horse has already won the Gold Cup!

And as an aside, I think it would help enormously if the BBC would use clear language - it's men in women's sport, and it's "he" not "she".

Hopefully a lot of people who might listen to this because of the earlier equally excellent section on Johnson’s lies will listen to the whole programme…

@terryleather

And as an aside, I think it would help enormously if the BBC would use clear language - it's men in women's sport, and it's "he" not "she".

Probably having to conform to Ofcom rules on reporting pronouns?

Ross Tucker gave a brilliant, clear explanation
I was disappointed with the final statement 'some people believe transpeople should be able to compete in their chosen category'
Or similar. I was expecting, naively I guess, some people believe sport should be fair for women

Very interesting! 🙂

@AssignedBlobbyAtBirth

Ross Tucker gave a brilliant, clear explanation I was disappointed with the final statement 'some people believe transpeople should be able to compete in their chosen category' Or similar. I was expecting, naively I guess, some people believe sport should be fair for women

Yes, but what reaction will that "Some people believe..." remark provoke in the listeners who are not trans believers?

In a way he was saying "Some people are idiots."

I thought it was very well presented and anyone starting 'neutral' would be very clear that puberty advantage is not negated by lowering testosterone and that ergo transwomen in women's sport is not fair.

Probably having to conform to Ofcom rules on reporting pronouns?

I expect they are, but I believe those rules need to be binned. I want language that's reality based, not ideological

It was interesting to hear More or Less spend a good while giving Boris Johnson a kicking over his having repeatedly and knowingly lied to Parliament using statistics he knows are false, before doing transwomen in women's sport based on the science.

A number of listeners will have heard the first part and will have cheered More or Less along over their incisive fact-based analysis and then will have heard the programme deviate away from the path of ideological purity. I'm smiling to myself thinking of the cognitive dissonance that will have been triggered.