USA Powerlifting + ICONS

[NecessaryScene]

Looks like USA Powerlifting is prepared to be a landmark case in the USA, and they're teaming up with a women's group to do it.

Something of a change from the usual pattern over there, where it's been individual women having to team up with the conservative Christian ADF to fight their own governing bodies.

Press release here:

Independent Council on Women's Sports and USA Powerlifting Urge Public Support for Women Powerlifters in Historic Minnesota Lawsuit

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) and USA Powerlifting (USAPL) held a joint press conference on Monday June 12, 2023 to protest a district court’s ruling that USAPL must cease operations in Minnesota unless it permits male athletes to compete against women in powerlifting competitions.

The USAPL last week filed an appeal to the Minnesota district court ruling in Cooper v. USA Powerlifting and will take it all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary, USAPL President Larry Maile, PhD, told the press conference held near Dallas, TX.

“We know we’re a national landmark” case, he said.

The Minnesota judge’s “radical erasure of an entire sport is a grave warning to other sports organizations that unless they are willing to knowingly discriminate against women and girls, at every age and every level, their beloved sport could next be on the chopping block,” said Marshi Smith, co-founder of ICONS.

Here's the press conference:

Wasn't just powerlifters there - you had a basketballer, skateboarder, and swimmer Riley Gaines. This could be the big one in the US.

I like transcripting a bit too much, so here are some excerpts from the press conference. First president Larry Maile:

Over the course of this process we've had the occasion to talk to numerous people both male and female to gauge their sentiment, and what we found is that people universally or virtually universally support our policy, but people are also reluctant to talk about it.

And some of us who have been at the forefront of this issue have suffered for that, and the same goes for particularly for women who would speak out on the issue. They received threats and are characterized as bigoted. And the threats are across the waterfront, really. They have to do with threats to vocation, they have to do with threats of association, they involve media attacks, and some of us have received physical and other threats directly.

So to speak out on this issue for us and for a number of our constituents, our members, has been very difficult.

[...]

We are lobbied heavily for full inclusion. And the problem is that we have offered over time multiple ways to allow for inclusion. I mentioned the MX division; we've also put on the table the idea of following the dominant International federation's rules for inclusion of transwomen - it involves monitoring of testosterone. I will tell you that's not the whole answer, but it's an answer, and we have offered a handicapping system; if transwomen are potentially 40 percent stronger say and you handicap them by that 40 percent, the playing field is level. I will tell you that that was universally rejected.

And so we conclude that this argument is really not about inclusion. This argument is about dominance. If you know that you can go to a competition and be forty percent better than your competition, it's about winning - it's not about fairness.

Jade Dickens, the white-haired very-Texan at 24:00, was my favourite:

We have been pushed to the back and we have been silenced because men want another place to dominate. And they have come to female sports to do that. Is that fair? No it is not.

I have worked way too hard to be dismissed and exiled from my sport. I know I'm in my rightful place.

And I know men and women around the country will stand with us and just let your voices be heard. Say enough is enough. Keep doing it. People are listening.

Thank you. Thank you, ICONS, for allowing me this opportunity. Thank you, Larry, for preserving my sport. I can't thank you enough for that.

Questions at the end:

CBS News: can you explain to the people why fight this battle in Minnesota, instead of saying we don't have to be in Minnesota?

Maile: Well I guess your question is why are we fighting in Minnesota? I guess the easy answer is we don't really have any choice, because we're being sued there, but the bigger answer really is that it could be Minnesota or it could be anywhere, but this is where the battle lies today. The issues remain as important both as a national precedent setter, but for the protection of women and integrity of their sports.

We fight in Minnesota because we have to, but we would fight anywhere.

[...]

We know we're a national landmark - although there are a number of other cases in the country looking at sports and looking at inclusion versus fairness kinds of issues, we also know that we're at the forefront of that.

And the unfortunate downside for us is that we're really a sports organization - we're not political, we just want to have sports. But we are forced to become activists to preserve our our lifestyle, basically, and our perspective on fairness.

Press: I can imagine that there is quite a few that actually agree with you. [Your faithful transcriptor couldn't really hear, trusting the auto-transcript]

Maile: One of the interesting things about powerlifting is that it's, as I said, inclusive. As with many sports there are high number, I guess I could say a noticeable number, of gay and lesbian people involved almost across the board. Of all the people we talk to they're supportive of this position, because regardless of their personal preferences and lifestyle they come to USA Powerlifting because they perceive it to be a fair and welcoming place.

So regardless those of our members who are similarly situated are supportive. Most of the criticism and, for want of a better description, the brand damage we receive is from outside of USA Powerlifting.

In surveying our own members, particularly in Minnesota, 95 percent are supportive of our position because at the end of the day people know what's fair and what isn't.

Is this the Jaycee Cooper case?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trans-women-usa-powerlifting-competition-ruling/

"This argument is about dominance."

Sums it all up in one phrase. Good luck to them.
Unbelievably women's sport is on a precipice in so many countries - being handed over to mediocre males.

This is great news, but I am stuck here:

The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS)

... and cannot proceed.

https://www.iconswomen.com/

This is they. Looks like a solid range of people behind it.

Honest testimonies from the women athletes.

Measured clear descriptions and explanations from Larry. It really does sound like they looked for evidence based solutions for reasonable comprises. & yet it wasn’t enough.

Larry get’s it - dominance.

Why does the metal health & inclusion argument run only one way?

I’d be interested to know how many trans men are competing (and winning) in the MX division.

Good luck. This really matters for sport generally because weightlifting is non-contact. The case will centre on male vs female physicality and the unfairness of inclusion for all. The fact that they have tried to be inclusive is a real focus. We've always known that tra's have never wanted compromise, only women's spaces and places. Good luck again