Park run email today - "Living as myself"

[wantmorenow]

blog.parkrun.com/uk/2022/07/27/living-as-myself/

Today of all days after Allison's victory!

Another form asking us to choose a gender or prefer not to say when I just want the word sex. Or non-believer in gender identity woo.

Who do we email to put our protected beliefs to?

Please just keep emailing them, giving your barcode number, and stating that no you won't be running or volunteering until they make their stance coherent and supportive of women and girls. According to this https://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2022/02/16/gender-balance-through-the-parkrun-journey/ more women volunteer than men, but men run more often... It's almost like this is SEXIST! So what do we do? We stop being the "helpers" and say NO THANK YOU, PARKRUN. You don't serve us, so we don't serve you.

Has anyone seen the recent WRN tweet - sorry rubbish at linking. TW holds Parkrun record now in prison for attacking officials regarding female category issues on fell running.

Yes Michael "Lauren" Jeska holds the female record at Aberystwyth parkrun! Outrageous!
twitter.com/WomensRightsNet/status/1661053626561839122

Aberystwyth is my local parkrun. I'm really glad this is getting wider notice via that tweet. I don't hold my breath that parkrun will do anything about it though.

The Telegraph (who are excellent at covering women's sport as well as the assault from transactivists) have an article about Jeska stealing the women's record. Interestingly although they highlight "feminist outrage" male Telegraph readers are full on TERF about what's happening to women's sport regularly citing data, evidence etc when commenting.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/23/transgender-murder-parkrun/

This is currently being discussed on AIBU. The votes suggest the OP is not being unreasonable but lots of posters don't seem to think there's anything to worry about because it's not a competition....

Parkrun keeps times, historic records, and placings, but since it doesn’t IDENTIFY as a competition, it’s not a competition.

This is currently being discussed on AIBU. The votes suggest the OP is not being unreasonable but lots of posters don't seem to think there's anything to worry about because it's not a competition....

ISTR there have been many threads about this, and I think the numbers of people agreeing that it's unfair are increasing. A few years ago you'd be completely shouted down.

https://support.parkrun.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005339137-Gender
So parkrun now acknowledge that it is unfair for someone to change their gender marker and be given accolades for runs they've done in the PAST, but to be given accolades for runs in the FUTURE is TOTALLY FAIR AND INCLUSIVE.
Nope, parkrun, no, that is not right at all and I am still abstaining from volunteering or running until women are included fairly in parkrun.

It's only ever seems to be the males who identify as women shoehorning themselves into female categories in sport. Never females who identify as men trying to get themselves recategorized.

How does anyone reconcile this with the fantasy they have actually changed their sex?

Or is that irrelevant, males wanting something is always more important than integrity, honesty and fairness to females? What a sad dystopia we live in.

Given that it’s supposed to be non-competitive and all about getting people on board, this would appear to be a perfect situation for including separate “trans woman” and “trans man” categories.

I know some unpleasant men would still register themselves in the wrong category, but it removes any excuse for doing so and also means that those undergoing medical treatment in whichever direction will effectively be running against others in a similar situation, thus improving fairness and accuracy.

Presumably introducing more categories might cost them something, but if women are refusing to volunteer when they used to, then that has a potential cost as well.

Thanks to all, past and present, who have been or are campaigning to change this.

Even with extra categories it’s likely trans people will still enter the women’s category. It’s all about validation They won’t want to admit they’re trans

I suspect the main reason for this is that they could do it in the UK, but not in Canada or Australia, for example, and that's why they won't change their policy.

Not happy about it and will be really annoyed when I see myself pushed down the female rankings by a male-bodied person, but I can't see an alternative other than them stopping any classification at all - they can't have different policies in the different countries (they tried in France related to health info and had to give up although that may change again soon).

Sounds like Parkrun are now in an excellent position to give us the list of exact changes a male goes through the very moment they declare a female gender identity that nullifies the male competitive advantage.

I think the parkrun thing makes people think less of gender critical feminists.

I was involved in leafleting there for women's group which I have now left and it felt a bit embarrassing tbh..
Seems like there are bigger fish to fry

That's because it's so ingrained into people that women will give way.

Men have been allowed into the women's category so that they won't be sad and that's important. Women objecting to it is petty.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it and every instance matters.

Does it, aye?

To me it does, yes.

Hmm... I kind of did unsee it though

Not saying it's a bad thing per se but personally I felt I could have spent the time better on other wr activities

Makes no difference to any other park-runner but presumably does make a massive difference to Ada to be able to run in the women's category. Everyone is just there for health and a bit of fun. It's not the bloody Olympics.

Park run is basically a fun run. But we cant ditch the times and records and sex distinction because its very important for man with gender to force everyone to pretent their gender is relevant.

The time keeping in park run exists to humour men with gender.

Makes no difference to any other park-runner but presumably does make a massive difference to Ada to be able to run in the women's category.

What? WHY?

Why do you think it "makes no difference" to the female runners that they aren't able to win their own category due to unfair competition?

Why do you think it makes a "massive difference" to the bloke to be able to labelled as belonging in a category he doesn't belong to?

Why do you think fair competition for female runners doesn't matter... but Ada's fantasy that he's a woman does somehow matter? You have that completely arse about face... is it because you simply don't think women's feelings matter but men's feelings do?

Do you realise that the massive bias and unfairness in your thinking reveals that you understand perfectly well that "Ada" is male?

bobinog! I live by you.. and had a real life nickname of your user name for a while ...

Wot DarkDay said.

It's trivial if women care but vitally important if men do. Just shows how well trained you are.