Elite sports people speaking up!

[Signalbox]

There seems to be an increasing number of sports people speaking up about the problem of males completing in women's sports which is positive. Thought it might be useful to have a thread of those who are risking sticking their heads above the parapet. Obviously the likes of Sharon Davies, Mara Yamauchi and Martina Navratilova have been bravely doing this for sometime but now we appear to have a few current athletes as well who are prepared to risk the mob to ensure women have fair competition. Is it too much to hope for that there will be a snowball effect?

Ultra just means ‘longer than a marathon’ so that bit is relevant (the website is called ‘I Run Far’ so it’s specifically aimed at ultrarunners).

’plant based’ means vegan and there is a strain of vegans in various sports that use this term, but I suspect it’s been appropriated from the body building world where participants take massive amounts of (usually) dairy based protein powders/supplements, so achieving an impressive physique on a vegan diet is a genuine point of interest.

The article also describes this person as wanting to own a cat so I’m thinking they just padded out with whatever fluff they can add that distracts from being male including male genitalia?

“She is an extroverted, tall, 52-year-old, plant-based athlete, who would love to someday have a cat, and a woman who is working to make our sport more inclusive and equitable for all.”

"In 2017, Flynn was scheduled to run the storied TransRockies Run, a stage race across the Rocky Mountains in Colorado"

are these the actual Rocky mountains or a few foot hills identifying as them?

🤣🤣

https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/three-perspectives-on-ironmans-controversial-new-open-category-and-transgender-policy/

In a larger press release sent out on February 6, Ironman announced the creation of a new Open participatory division, with the hopes of “[providing] a welcoming and inclusive field for able-bodied athletes that cannot or do not wish to race in a competitive age or gender group.” The press release went on to say that athletes can self-select this category with no approval required.

The article goes on to interview three athletes with a “personal stake” in the new policy - one TW (Flynn), one TM (Mosier) and one woman (mother of a trans child).

What about interviewing women who have a massive personal stake in fairness for women’s sport?

@DaughterOfPsychiatrist

The article also describes this person as wanting to own a cat so I’m thinking they just padded out with whatever fluff they can add that distracts from being male including male genitalia?

Yes, I think you're on to something. Definitely distraction technique.

And is this person even a vegan per se, (which group have had to suffer appropriation of their philosophy based religion) or simply someone who doesn't eat meat?

So I can virtue signal that I am ethical to animals (and I love them so much I want a cat....ahhh isn't that so giiirrrrly) whilst denying equality for women by stealing hard earned places and trophies from them.

But they don't eat animals, see!! And I love fluffy ones. That's what's important. I'm not a cheat I'm a good person. Now clap.

This detail from today's Telegraph article about the rower in the women's boat race

“It was decided not to display the schools the women had attended, because they didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that Gibson’s school was a boys’ school."

There's that sacred caste again, getting the world to bend around their belief that they are the opposite sex.

[Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month! We’re highlighting stories of women moving the needle forward in trail running and ultrarunning. Our goal is to bring to light women who are progressing our sport in a variety of ways: in big business, in the community, and on the trail itself. Let’s celebrate!]

The first paragraph of the article.

It's women's history month so we are going to focus on (drum roll please) a man!
There are amazing women in ultra running it is one of the few sports where women do sometimes beat men (probably due to the very low numbers of participants but possibly due to women's greater fat reserves and/or ability to function on less sleep) but let's totally ignore them and give a bloke an ego boost. But hey he didn't win some can't be a cheat right?.

Great interview on Planet Normal with Jane Sullivan, professional rowing coach, who shares her despair at the lack of regulations with trans athletes competing with women in competitive rowing events.

"The association with Ms. Thompson has affected Cynisca's brand and reputation."

Has it? I cycle, and while there are far too many people who should know better that males have an advantage, generally you are allowed to discuss the topic and I would say more people support either open/female categories or stricter rules.

MissPollysFitDolly · Yesterday 01:00

And he called it correctly, it's stealing and these men are all shameless thieves.

He's a shameless, spoilt egotist. I bet his mammy still lets him "win" at Monopoly, so that he doesn't weep.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d8f6b4f0-efec-11ed-b02d-cefaa3091195?shareToken=1d84a0c200ae403bdb43e764f257c3ad

Inga Thompson story covered in The Times.

The fact that it doesn't even say women but female...

This is a protest...

"The CO2UT gravel race was yesterday.

Trans-identified male cyclist Lesley (Wesley) Mumford was in the women's 40-49 age group (out of 14) and 6/33 for women overall on the 100 mile course.

Lesley doesn't know why no one else showed up for the podium!"

https://twitter.com/i_heart__bikes/status/1658074552717418496

Excellent protest.

I agree, it's brave of the women competitors; I wonder if it will embolden more women to do the same? It could be the spark to light the fire.

But as other posters have said, they will be risking their livelihoods.

Danika Schroeter 💐

Can’t believe this was happening all the way back in 2006!

https://twitter.com/Serena_Partrick/status/1658401518083612673

That is ridiculous! Danika was cheated.

Always that same, smug expression.

I imagine them doing a Nelson Muntz "Ha hah!"

Because it is all about virtue signalling for the chosen minorities.

This article offers an interesting perspective. The author isn't advocating for women to be allowed to dope themselves with testosterone, it's a thought experiment only. She also draws in a couple of other threads that highlight the chaos and double standards of tw in women's sports. The anti-doping agency, who are very clear that extra testosterone gives and unfair advantage, and the amputee athlete, who could not compete even though it wasn't proven that his prosthetic gave him an advantage.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/paralympic-sport/2023/05/18/female-athletes-boost-testosterone-compete-trans-women/

I was able to read it through a link from the writer's twitter. Otherwise there's some kind of archive magic that I cannot get to work!

< turning in my broomstick>

On a similar note, would Wada allow biological women to take a year or two away from competition, get in some solid blocks of training with elevated levels of testosterone, and then return to competition once their levels are back below 2.5 nmol/L? If transgender women have the benefit of developing physically with heightened levels of testosterone, why would a biological women be sanctioned for doing something similar?

This question is never answered is it? When they bring in policies based on testosterone suppression this is somehow supposed to miraculously undo the years of these men’s bodies being flooded with the stuff.

“Despite giving up the sport she loves, Hannah Arensman refuses to be cowed by abuse women face for speaking out about the transgender crisis”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2023/05/19/hannah-arensman-austin-killips-cyclist-transgender/

https://thecritic.co.uk/inga-thompson-and-the-cost-of-saying-no/

Really interesting, inspiring and well-written articles, thank you.

PS I was able to read it through a link from the writer's twitter. Otherwise there's some kind of archive magic that I cannot get to work! - @IcakethereforeIam, just copy the link of whichever article it is you want to read (the relevant page on eg the Times or Telegraph or whatever), then open up the archive website at archive dot ph. There's a box that says 'I want to search the archive for saved snapshots'. Paste in your saved address there and hit 'search'. I find that, nearly always, somebody has already archived the story and you can read it.