Certain biological realities in life cannot be denied. Human beings are mammals. In mammals, sex is bipolar, male and female, which is determined genetically at conception. Humans also exhibit a degree of sexual dimorphism, and while that degree is not as great as in, say, gorillas, human males - men - are on average stronger, faster, have more endurance, and a higher tolerance for injury than human females - women. Men have more muscle mass, more lung capacity, and heavier and stronger bones.
These are facts.
Despite these facts, some are still pushing the practice of allowing "transgender girls/women" - boys and men - to play on girl's and women's sports teams. This is hideously unfair, which hasn't stopped the Harris/Biden administration from trying to force states to comply with this. Some of the women's sports teams are protesting this unfair practice, as a Boise State women's volleyball team recently did, walking off the court in protest of their opposing team having a "physically imposing" "transgender" player.
The Boise State University women’s volleyball team forfeited their Saturday match against California’s San Jose State’s team, apparently deciding that San Jose’s decision to retain a physically imposing transgender player made it a safety issue for the Idaho players.
“Boise State volleyball will not play its scheduled match at San José State on Saturday, Sept. 28. Per Mountain West Conference policy, the Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State. The Broncos will next compete on Oct. 3 against Air Force,” the University’s team announced.
But the various states are also pushing back, with my own state of Alaska being one of the latest to weigh in.
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor said in a statement that the rule is “another example of the Biden administration attempting to subordinate state policy and fiscal judgments to the federal government. The requirements of the rule are impossible to meet and would be devastating to State Medicaid programs.”
The lawsuit, led by Texas, asked the court to declare that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its authority when it adopted the rule in May.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year declined to review a ruling from a federal appeals court that found people with gender dysphoria are entitled to the protections of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Here's where the Anchorage Daily News goes off the rails:
In Alaska, several attempts to restrict the rights of transgender people have failed to pass the Legislature. But the administration of Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has sought to limit state protections for transgender people through executive action, most recently by adopting a rule barring transgender children from competing in school sports on teams that conform with their gender identity.
These acts are not "restricting the rights of transgender people." They have the same rights as anyone to play on the sports teams of their genetically-determined sex. They do not, however, have the right to indulge in the horrendously unfair practice of boys and men playing on girls' and women's teams - and you will notice that it is always this way; it's almost never "transgender men" - women - campaigning to compete against actual males. That's what makes me suspect, in a great number of these incidents - "Lia" Thomas, for example - that there is no gender dysphoria involved; instead, it's usually just a cynical attempt to manipulate a social trend to gain awards and accolades to which these people are not entitled and could not win fairly.
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Australian Women's Soccer Team Has Great Season...Because Five of Its Players Are Men
In Texas, Ted Cruz's Senate seat election opponent is on record favoring this unfair practice, and a pro-Cruz PAC is hammering him on it.
The pro-Cruz Truth and Courage PAC is rolling out a $3 million dollar ad buy in Texas hitting the Democratic congressman over his previous support of allowing biological males to compete in sports against female opponents.
"Texas girls are tough," the 30-second version of the ad says, as it shows young women training for various sporting events. "But they're facing a new opponent they can't beat by digging deeper."
"Colin Allred could have stopped men from competing in women's sports, but instead, he voted against our daughters," the ad continues before it shows a man resembling Allred with the name "Allred" on his jersey, tackling one of the girls.
This issue is being hard-fought, and won't go away any time soon. As far as this year's elections are concerned, it's a minor issue in most races; the presidential contest, for instance, will be decided mostly on economic issues, as is so often the case. But the Harris/Biden camp has made their preferences in this known. They favor forcing local schools and colleges to allow boys and men on girls' and women's athletic teams and in their locker rooms, in the fuzzy notion of "transgenderism."
Granted, gender dysphoria is a real thing. It's been known in the world of human behavior and psychology for many decades. We can recognize that and deal with it without the stupidly unfair scheme of allowing cynical grifters like Lia Thomas and his ilk onto women's sports teams. This is an unfair practice that has to end, and this election won't decide it completely - but we can get things moving in the right direction. Ousting Democrats from the White House and as much of Congress as we can manage will be a good start.