Martina Navratilova = Logic & Common Sense! Tennis great Martina Navratilova has drawn widespread condemnation for her remarks that allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sport is “insane”. “It’s insane and it’s cheating. I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair,” she said in a piece in Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper. The latest comment follows a tweet in December that drew severe public backlash over her comments. “You can’t just proclaim yourself a female and be able to compete against women. There must be some standards, and having a penis and competing as a woman would not fit that standard,” she tweeted. Despite the reaction, Navratilova said after taking time to educate herself she had only strengthened her beliefs. “To put the argument at its most basic: a man can decide to be female, take hormones if required by whatever sporting organisation is concerned, win everything in sight and perhaps earn a small fortune, and then reverse his decision and go back to making babies if he so desires,” Navratilova wrote. Dr Rachel McKinnon, the first transgender woman to win a cycling track world title, posted several tweets hitting out at Navratilova’s “ignorant” remarks. “Martina Navratilova is explicitly peddling a transphobic MYTH of the duplicitous cis man ‘faking’ being a trans woman in order to gain access to women-only spaces for nefarious purposes,” Dr Rachel McKinnon tweeted. Dr. Rachel McKinnon@rachelvmckinnon This is, in her own words with the time of forethought and authorship, Martina Navratilova's 'core' argument against trans women athletes. It's a wild fantasy worry that is an irrational fear of something that doesn't happen. An irrational fear of trans people? Transphobia. Trans Actual@TransActualUK We’re pretty devastated to discover that Martina Navratilova is transphobic. If trans women had an advantage in sport, why aren’t trans women winning gold medals left, right & centre? Coz trans women don’t have an advantage. Look up the changes that oestrogen makes to the body. The articles comes ahead of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) voting to enforce rules that aim to restrict testosterone levels in female athletes. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has proposed rules that would force so-called “hyperandrogenic” athletes or those with “differences of sexual development” (DSD) to medically lower their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount. Track and field’s global governing body wants to introduce the rule changes in order to promote what it says will be fairer competition between all female athletes. But South Africa middle-distance star Semenya, the most high-profile athlete who would be affected by such an alteration to the rule book, is challenging the legality of the IAAF’s proposals in a case which will be heard at the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in Lausanne from Monday. Significantly, the change would only apply to female athletes competing in distances from 400 metres to a 1600 metres. But despite her stance and remarks over transgender athletes, Navratilova came to the defence of Semenya. Martina Navratilova has defended superstar Caster Semenya ahead of the hearing on proposed rules that aim to restrict testosterone levels in female athletes. “Leaving out sprints & longer distances seems to me to be a clear case of discrimination by targeting Semenya,” she said “Leaving out sprints and longer distances seems to me to be a clear case of discrimination by targeting Semenya,” Navratilova wrote. “And can it be right to order athletes to take medication? What if the long-term effects proved harmful? “Semenya’s case will come up tomorrow before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is expected to last a week and the outcome is expected by March 29. I hope she wins.” Semenya, the Olympic 800m gold medallist at both the London and Rio Games, is also a three-time world champion. She will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday to challenge proposed rules that would force her to lower her testosterone levels. The South African government has said the rules proposed by track and field’s governing body, specifically target Semenya and has called them a “gross violation” of her human rights. “She looks forward to responding to the IAAF at the upcoming CAS hearing,” Semenya’s legal team said, adding that “her genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated against”. Cricket South Africa said it stood behind the “national icon” and denounced the IAAF regulations as “an act of discrimination” against women in sport. — with AFP Icon criticised over ‘insane’ remarks
Yea, I said this back when those hs trans sprinters were in the news. I all ready think Semenya has a huge, unfair advantage, but it's also one that she can't help. She may be on some scientific line, but she's a female. The way the iaaf is trying to implement these rule changes ONLY across the block of distances Semenya runs, kinda reeks of a witch hunt. Trans however, issa no for me dawg. Even on a hs level, those athletes going 1,2 all season changes the record books, stats, rankings and potential recruiting opportunities.
The problem with a transgender athlete is that their biological development, bone structure, musculature etc doesn't just evaporated because they have decided to transition. A few years of estrogen will not reverse those physical advantages. In some sports like mma, this can lead to dangerous mismatches and setup her womb developed female opponents a much greater potential for crippling career/life ending injuries. Its a real problem that goes beyond just fairness and needs to be discussed, reasoned, and dealt with...... without the inflammatory rhetoric.
