02-15-2022, 02:10 PM
@teejers1 -- Ideally, that would be one avenue, but building codes and a very pernicious cost of real estate probably means that gender-neutral bathrooms are probably the future (and honestly, if you do it right, there shouldn't be any issues imo).
@spike5882 -- I appreciate your argument. But acknowledging that biological disparity exists among AFAB women athletes (I can't think of a more nuanced term right now) does not mean that introducing even more biological disparity is okay. At the very least, trans women athletes are not going through menstrual periods that have significant impact on athletic performance. And then there are the puberty advantages.
If we were to encourage greater biological disparity, I think the logical conclusion of that argument would be to do away with gender differences altogether in athletics. In the post-college world, we separate competitors by age group and sometimes weight as well. We recognize that biological markers affect the ability to compete fairly. It's well past time to give trans athletes their own event(s) and recognition.
@spike5882 -- I appreciate your argument. But acknowledging that biological disparity exists among AFAB women athletes (I can't think of a more nuanced term right now) does not mean that introducing even more biological disparity is okay. At the very least, trans women athletes are not going through menstrual periods that have significant impact on athletic performance. And then there are the puberty advantages.
If we were to encourage greater biological disparity, I think the logical conclusion of that argument would be to do away with gender differences altogether in athletics. In the post-college world, we separate competitors by age group and sometimes weight as well. We recognize that biological markers affect the ability to compete fairly. It's well past time to give trans athletes their own event(s) and recognition.