Whether you’re a liberal Democrat, a conservative Republican or moderate Independent, I do not see how you can support male transgender athletes wanting to play in women’s sports.
Physically, male transgenders have a natural physical advantage over most women and girls.
It can be dangerous for females to play against these men who “identify” as females.
One example is female volleyball player Payton McNabb from North Carolina, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a male transgender spiked the ball hard and struck her in the head.
The young volleyball star suffered life-changing injuries at the hands of a transgender opponent.
Trump has signed an executive order to stop transgender males from competing against females in all sports and at all levels.
Legislation to prevent transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports failed to advance in the Senate recently.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act failed to clear an initial procedural hurdle on a 51-45 vote. It needed 60 votes to advance.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), sought to amend Title IX, the federal civil rights law against sex discrimination, to prohibit schools from allowing transgender students to compete in athletic events “designated for women or girls,” according to an article by The Hill.
To have a biological male compete against females is just not fair in any sport. Many young women have been knocked out of winning a championship or title because of being defeated by a male transgender.
It is an obvious unfair advantage to have males who “feel” they are girls participate in contact sports against biological females. If they are not good enough to play with the males, then they should give up the sport or practice to get better. Many transgender men have participated in men’s sports first and when they couldn’t win against men – decided to compete as a woman in women’s sports.
Following President Trump’s executive order, the NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth, according to an AP article.
The NCAA policy change is effective immediately and applies to all athletes regardless of previous eligibility reviews.
As far as I know, no male transgender athlete has tried to play women’s sports at any of our regional high schools or colleges. However, it is just a matter of time before this practice is completely banned across the United States at all levels.
I do not feel this is a conservative or liberal issue, but it is a common sense issue.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the newspaper’s management, staff or ownership. We encourage a diversity of perspectives and foster open dialogue on important issues, but these opinions are solely the responsibility of the contributors.