[needle]

FWIW, the polling on transgender individuals playing in women's sports is really negative.  Recent polling suggests 80% against and even 67% of Democrats.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/19/us-news/ny...ns-sports/

A couple of years ago it was closer to 60% against.

OTOH, roughly 60% oppose laws banning gender affirming care for minors.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/645704/slim...wrong.aspx

For transgender advocates this strikes me as a poor hill to die on and likely an issue that will not help trans individuals become more broadly accepted in society.

This polling is exactly why Trump is pushing the issue....

Life comes at you quick, as they say. But it was just four years ago that 500 NCAA athletes, including a Stanford student, signed onto a letter condemning the NCAA for not openly opposing states w/trans athlete bans:

https://www.athleteally.org/student-letter-ncaa-hb500/

About one month after that letter, the NCAA came out with  a statement fully supportive of the inclusion of trans athletes:

 The NCAA Board of Governors stated that it “firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition… inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport.”

I think the NCAA is trying to "memory hole" this statement, as I can't find it on their official site, but here's a link to an advocacy group applauding the NCAA's stance at the time: https://glaad.org/releases/glaad-respond...on-sports/

To give away my personal leanings, my interest (perhaps fascination is a better word) with this topic is less about ideas of inclusion or fairness and more about how large, seemingly "important" organizations like Stanford/NCAA say one thing with apparent conviction but then meekly bow down when that once "firmly"-held opinion is no longer popular. I'm fully capable of viewing this abstractedly and do not have a personal stake in this issue, even as a fan. But I would not blame the young and/or (more) idealistic for feeling towards the NCAA and even Stanford a crushing sense of betrayal at this moment.

[needle]

FWIW, the polling on transgender individuals playing in women's sports is really negative.  Recent polling suggests 80% against and even 67% of Democrats.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/19/us-news/ny...ns-sports/

A couple of years ago it was closer to 60% against.

OTOH, roughly 60% oppose laws banning gender affirming care for minors.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/645704/slim...wrong.aspx

For transgender advocates this strikes me as a poor hill to die on and likely an issue that will not help trans individuals become more broadly accepted in society.

This polling is exactly why Trump is pushing the issue....

Life comes at you quick, as they say. But it was just four years ago that 500 NCAA athletes, including a Stanford student, signed onto a letter condemning the NCAA for not openly opposing states w/trans athlete bans:

https://www.athleteally.org/student-letter-ncaa-hb500/

About one month after that letter, the NCAA came out with  a statement fully supportive of the inclusion of trans athletes:

 The NCAA Board of Governors stated that it “firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition… inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport.”

I think the NCAA is trying to "memory hole" this statement, as I can't find it on their official site, but here's a link to an advocacy group applauding the NCAA's stance at the time: https://glaad.org/releases/glaad-respond...on-sports/

To give away my personal leanings, my interest (perhaps fascination is a better word) with this topic is less about ideas of inclusion or fairness and more about how large, seemingly "important" organizations like Stanford/NCAA say one thing with apparent conviction but then meekly bow down when that once "firmly"-held opinion is no longer popular. I'm fully capable of viewing this abstractedly and do not have a personal stake in this issue, even as a fan. But I would not blame the young and/or (more) idealistic for feeling towards the NCAA and even Stanford a crushing sense of betrayal at this moment.