Emily Bridges in the news again

[BatDuck]

There’s a lot to unpack here. The violent abuse Bridges received is utter disgraceful and rightly it should be acknowledged that Bridges should be able to live Bridges life without fear or harassment.

The tenor of the debate is not helped by these woe is me articles that have been dripping into the media since the New Year. Quite frankly, it feels like propaganda as there’s no push back on the issue at play: males do not belong in female sport.

www.itv.com/news/2022-06-07/emily-bridges-had-physical-threats-after-pms-trans-participation-comments

You can be short and have a tall child - my friend is 5’2” and her son is 6’5”!

I don't count threats on twittwer/instagram as real. I'm amazed that people do.
And also, if you know that you can use online threats to weaponise and promote your chosen political view then isn't there the tiniest chance ( when I say tiny I mean 'very likely') that your supporters will 'abuse' you as it gives you an advantage?

Like I said, being abused online just isn't real in my opinion. Probably not a popular one but there you go. Opinions eh....

I skimmed most of the article and didn't watch the report but what jumped out at me was the contrast between the professional, coy head shots and the still from the interview. Emily has a fine pair of mankles.

I know this will be deleted but the truth is out there.

I gave up reading the article part way through, me, me me, I am not good enough as a man, so I'll go in for women's races.

Nothing mentioning the thousands of men in sport who aren't as good as they'd like to be, but accept it and don't cheat.

“Any advantage I had pre transition is gone”

Wow, so EB has lost leg and arm length and muscle size, muscle strength, heart and lung size, twitch response and almost incredibly their pelvis has completely reconfigured to a female pelvis .

I am impressed, and wondering when a) they are going to announce this medical transformation to the world and b) prove it..

Okay that's not her mum but let's clarify how tall Bridges is: www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/i-just-want-to-be-competitive-again-trans-cyclist-emily-bridges-on-preparing-to-race-in-the-female-category

“Yes, I’m quite tall [6ft 2in], but

I note that EB approach to the research they are participating in is to announce the result before the research is complete.

plus the research is being led by a TW - Joanne Harper - who has significant firm in this area…

I’ve absolutely no doubt that the outcome of this research was decided before it even began

Don't be silly. You are all hearing that as though Emily is saying Emily is slower.

"Nowhere near" could be miles out in front!

Having just watched the womens road race come through I can confirm that I couldn't check them all, but the ones I did see definitely had a female seat (sticky out knees).

@viques exactly. To be true we would have heard al about some absolutely amazing medical breakthroughs. Because the medical ramifications of that kind of transformation would be gobsmacking for a squillion and one medical conditions.

I've been thinking about this some more, and I think another reason I feel so angry about this is because for so many years we have been told that sex and gender are two separate things. Gender critical feminists are accused of 'conflating' sex and gender. And now the rhetoric really is shifting towards the idea that transwomen are 'female'.

Didn't watch the whole thing it was tedious but couldn't help thinking 'Emily, what a deep voice you have'.

Yes this struck me too; if Emily genuinely believes that all the hormones completely negate their male physiology then why do they have such a deep voice still? Is it just possible that the hormones don't actually override all male attributes and in fact there is still a significant competitive advantage over natal women remaining in Emily's physiology? I mean I'm not even tackling the height and build advantages that do seem to still be present in spite of all these female hormones Emily's been popping.

A quick scan through the online coverage and twitter shows that vanishingly few of the population (who have expressed an opinion) are having anything to do with this charade.
Men taking over women's sport is evidently the hill we're all going to die on.

Men taking over women's sport is evidently the hill we're all going to die on.

The question is - how hard are outlets like ITV, and all the other institutions like the cycling press and authorities, the IOC, the ACLU, etc etc, going to try to keep pushing this?

How committed are they to burning whatever remaining credibility they have left in the defence of obvious untruths and unfairness?

How do they think they can win this?

It’s a bit like a retelling of Little Red BikeRiding Hood.

”Oh Grandmamma, what a deep voice you have”

”All the better to eat, I mean beat, you with my dear. Come closer, no , not that close, I don’t want people to comment on the size difference. And also I look more wistful and vunerable when I am viewed on my own with subtle make up and my hair, I mean my fur, blow dried to perfection.”

Gosh, Emily seems utterly self absorbed. Emily wants to race women, so Emily will do so. Seems amazed & mildly outraged that anybody would dare to question Emily's right to do just as Emily pleases.

Good interview. Do more, please!

Taint the patriarchal structures that are being pushed on women that are the issue here, Emily. It's bog standard biological reality.

That was the weirdest journalistic interview I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know any better the thought may have crossed my mind that is was a paid for PR piece. Journalism ain’t what it used to be.

The women who are tackled by journalists on this issue, demanding that they Be Kind and claiming that There Are Extremists On Both Sides, need to get the case of Lauren Jeska into the public consciousness. A male sportsperson attempted to murder a sports' official over this issue, left him with life-changing injuries, and attacked two other people. This needs to be brought up every single time they try to claim that women are the danger in this.

God this is terrible. That poor man has been left permanently disabled and blinded! Is this one of those things that never happens?

I think Bridges anger should be directed towards British Cycling allowing Bridges to walk down this road and be open to public abuse.

Johnson is the PM, he's actually just stating public opinion, that's what they do or should do as representatives of their country.

No space has been given by Bridges or the article onto the impact on women.

Also no one should be on the end of horrific abuse.

Look even if EB has taken enough medication to not have a sporting advantage, EB has still got an unfair advantage of trumping the spot of a biological female, who only has one category to choose. Trans identified persons are competing in their biological category already like TM, so in theory a TW has two options, the female only has one.

God, the fairness and ethics of this is not hard but don't you just feel like hitting your head against a wall!! It's only hard if you literally can't say the word No.

The women’s cycling Tour of Britain is taking place this week. I’ll be going along where it passes near where I live, to cheer the girls. I shall have a placard which says ‘ women’s sports are for women.’

if you can get roadside, please do the same.

Look even if EB has taken enough medication to not have a sporting advantage, EB has still got an unfair advantage of trumping the spot of a biological female, who only has one category to choose

Indeed. Bridges' sporting advantage is being able to take a whole load of performance-reducing drugs and still be an "elite" cyclist.

Woman have to be at the pinnacle of female performance and work their way up. Bridges just has to decide exactly how much to lower performance.

Any drugs for non medical purposes should be banned. Then TW have the choice to take hormones, or leave sport.