One of the big hot-button topics political parties are using to divide us in 2021 is the debate over which gender transgendered female athletes should compete against in high school or college, because you know, that's an important topic to worry about.
Oklahoma isn't any different. Always looking for an opportunity to advance their draconian views, the Oklahoma House is still trying to sneak through legislation titled the Save Women's Sports Act.
Via The Oklahoman_:
An Oklahoma House panel advanced legislation to prevent transgender athletes from playing on girls' and women's sports teams at public schools, colleges and universities.
On the fly Thursday morning, the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee amended legislation dealing with the School Finance Review Commission to become the "Save Women's Sports Act."
Despite legislative Republicans, including the bill's author, saying the proposal has nothing to do with transgender students, transgender women would likely be adversely affected by the bill that is similar to GOP-backed legislation introduced in more than 20 states.
This will piss off my friends on the identity left, but I can see where these paranoid transphobic right-wing folks are coming from on this topic. You can't argue that men – especially the athletic ones – have a physical advantage over women. It's just a fact. As a result, it would be safe to assume that a high-level male athlete who transitioned to a woman would have a physical advantage over a woman who was born a woman.
Well, unless we're talking about Kyle Singler or Regular Jim Traber. They'd be terrible as a man or woman.
Either way, I guess the difference between me and those right-wing folks is that I'm not a transphobic weirdo. If a man transitions to a woman, and she wants to play on the women's basketball team, who gives a fuck? If she identifies as a woman and has gone through medical procedures to become a woman, guess what – she's a woman, and she should probably be allowed to play women's sports.
"But Patrick! As you said, it would give the trans woman an unfair athletic advantage over cis woman!"
Yes, it could. And at last check, that's kind of how athletics works. Some athletes have physical and biological advantages over other ones. You don't see us banning LeBron James from playing basketball because he's bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic than every other human on the planet.
"But Patrick! LeBron James was a born a man!!!"
That's true. And if he suddenly thinks he should be a woman, and goes through the process of becoming one, and changes his name to Lebrona, she should be allowed to play women's sports. Unless, of course, LeBrona said she wanted to play against men.
If you ask me, that should be the solution to this virtually non-existent problem that is being pushed by political parties that care more about pandering to their base than tackling real issues.
Let the trans athlete decide what sport they want to play! The best athletes usually want to play against the best athletes. If a transgendered woman, or even a woman who was born a woman, is tearing up on the tennis court, golf course or football field, let them play with men. That would actually be kind of cool!
"Patrick! That's nuts! It will destroy women's sports in Oklahoma!"
Will it? Like, do we even have a situation where this is an issue? That's a question the people behind the bill can't answer:
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, said she's trying to prevent biological female athletes from competing against "male-bodied athletes." She did not cite any specific examples in Oklahoma where that has been an issue...
After the bill passed the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee on a vote of 4-1, committee chairman Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, said he respected Hasenbeck for carrying the legislation.
"Thank you for the courage to run this bill," he said.
Anyway, I guess we'll continue to monitor this bill for the zero people it currently affects. Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
