Transphobia, like beauty, is apparently in the eyes of the beholder. You’ve all likely read about one or another guy who thinks he’s a girl whipping the pants off the girls in sports like field hockey and track and winning state championships so they can ace the girls out of college scholarships meant for girls. The real girls, naturally, generally think that’s unfair. The homosexual/lesbian/trans etc. crowd thinks that is fair. School officials, terrified of (1) getting sued for discriminating against that crowd, and (2) the woke publicity and likely other PR fallout, go along whether they think it is fair or not. Actually, the only ones on record as thinking it is fair is the homosexual/lesbian/trans etc. crowd (at least until some lesbian gets beat by a guy-girl in the 100 meter dash – then some feathers will fly). This is some of the collateral damage of the anti-discrimination laws that to be fair was pretty unforeseeable at the time of enactment.
So, in a brave attempt to legislate some common sense into the world, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D. Haw.)(first Hindu in Congress and the first Samoan-American voting member) and Representative Markwayne Mullin (R. OK)(a so-called Native American, likely no stranger to discrimination himself), have co-sponsored a bill that would ban so-called trans athletes from participating in women’s sports. Put another way, people with penises would not be allowed to compete in sporting contests of physical ability against people with vaginas. Geez, seems pretty basic to us.
The bill, called the “Protect Women’s Sports Act of 2020”, would limit federal Title IX protections based on “biological sex as determined at birth by a physician.” Title IX is the law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. In a press release, Representative Gabbard said the bill “protects Title IX’s original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex” in athletics among other areas.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this bill is that one of its writers is a Democratic Representative (along with a well-known anti-queer crowd Republican representative). It took some balls (pun is absolutely intended) for Representative to put her name on this bill, and she should be congratulated for exercising some common sense and being apparently willing to take the heat that is coming her way. Makes one wonder if she plans to run for re-election or if she’s already given that up.
Unsurprisingly, the “boys can be girls if they want to be, and girls can be boys if they want to be” protest freaks declared war instantly. According to the above article, “Charlotte Clymer, a former press secretary for rapid response at the Human Rights Campaign, called the bill a ‘blatantly transphobic piece of legislation aimed at trans and non-binary young people.’ . . . . Sarah McBride, who made history in November when she was elected the country’s first openly transgender state senator, for Delaware [home of Joe Biden, by the way], used fewer words to criticize the Democratic lawmaker: ‘Tulsi Gabbard: assigned Republican at birth.’” (which we have to say is an excellent riposte).
Of course the bill is “a blatantly transphobic piece of legislation aimed at trans and non-binary young people”. That’s the whole point of the thing. Not at the “trans community” generally, but just those in it, and their “allies,” who think it’s OK to treat girls unfairly by making them compete against boys. Whether this bill actually goes anywhere remains to be seen, as will whether Biden supports common sense or folds under the likely woke pressure.
In any event, kudos to Representatives Gabbard and Mullin for finally noticing that the Emperor has no clothes.