RunRagged wrote:
I don't get the "old white guys" claim either. It's not an accurate description of what's actually happening around "this battle" IRL or even on LRC.
Women of all colors and ages "are fighting this battle" politically in DC, in statehouses, at the local school board level and internationally. Women are protesting at sports events where men are being allowed to compete in the female category and challenging sports governing bodies like the IOC and NCCA through back channels and in courts. Lots of women have done the boring work of drafting and pressing for legislation intended to protect female-only scholastic sports in numerous states in the US - and we're working on trying to find ways to protect female-only sports at the federal level too.
Women of various ages and races - along with some notable youngish and middle-aged men of varying ethnicities - have produced reams of evidence, documents, presentations, videos and podcasts showing why policies such as the NCAA's are unfair. Women have lobbied elected officials and sports governing bodies, and testified in legislatures and courts.
Some old black guys are fighting this battle too. Daley Thompson of the UK, who won the Olympic decathlon in1980 and 1984, has been vocal in his view that girls' and women's sports should be for female participants only. Same goes for US champion hurdler Edwin Moses, who won golds in the men's 400m hurdlers in 1976 and 1984 and set four world records in the event.
https://youtu.be/I9zuGS9Igt8Another old black guy who has actively fought in this battle is Herschel Walker.
Some old Asian guys have entered the fray too. The President of Samoa, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi has protested policies made by various international sports governing bodies that now allow males to use gender identity claims to compete in elite international women's sport.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/114420264/samoan-pm-tuilaepa-sailele-malielegaoi-hits-out-at-laurel-hubbardBlack American women of various ages are up in arms and totally outraged about male athletes in women's sports, too. As a look at what they say on Lipstick Alley will show.
Lots of young , youngish or not so old black men in the US are using their platforms to "fight this battle" too. Like You Tubers Brandon Tatum (who's conservative), Ruined Leon (who I think is around 20 and seems progressive but anti-woke) and Abba and Preach.
https://youtu.be/VzyrULPZwBISome of the "old white guys" with large media platforms who are in the fight to defend female-only sports identify as trans themselves. Such as prominent commentators India Willoughby and Debbie Hayton from the UK.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/we-trans-women-should-compete-only-against-men-h0wj77f7xhttps://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-olympics-bizarre-new-transgender-policiesSome younger males and females who identify as trans also are in this fight too. Here's Sarah Higdon from the USA speaking out strongly and frankly against the NCAA policy:
https://youtu.be/Ev-GzsUMyBAThe people who oppose the participation of males in girls' and women's sports based on the males' identity claims can't be written off as "old white guys." The truth is, we're of both sexes, many different ages and all races - and we come from all across the political spectrum, all walks of life and many different backgrounds. Some are conservatives, some are centrists, some are longstanding feminists of the second wave sort who lean left. Some think gender identity ideology overall is a harmful, faith-based bunch of bollocks based on regressively sexist and deeply misogynistic sex stereotypes. But others are big believers in genderism and call themselves trans, yet they disagree with the unreasonable demands, wild claims and extreme behaviors of the most radical trans activists - and they fear that those demands, claims and behaviors are going to backfire on the trans community, provoking backlash and resentment that will mean less acceptance and good will in the long run.
If you want to see "diversity and inclusion" in action on this issue, I think you're more likely to find it amongst those who base our position on the realities of biological sex and the belief that female people should have equal rights than amongst those who base their position on wishful thinking and the belief that playing nice to males who say they are women should be prioritized over playing fair to those who actually are women.
Devastating post. I don't expect any kind of reasonable rebuttal to it.