1. I dont do wild swimming - because even in a pool I am fairly certain there are sharks lurking and no one needs that crazy disrupting their peaceful outdoor swims. But Wiseman's column seems just...mean-spirited. Find a sport you love and go play it, lady, and chill.
2. The issue of transgender athletes in sports is one that so deeply interests me but also makes me want to put my head in the sand. I wholeheartedly support inclusivity in all things, BUT - and that but makes me cringe - there's science behind the issue and I don't like what the science says because it goes against my deep desire to be inclusive. So I put my head back in the sand. Yet I will continue to read and follow (and feel terrible about it all, all sides).
3. That POOL. On. The. List. ENJOY.
Now I am off to download the app and subscribe or whatever it is I have to do to help support you continuing this very entertaining venue. Thanks for doing the work so I just have to read stuff :)
I've been really disgusted at the mainstream media coverage of trans athletics and trans issues in general. They're cherry picking the science since some studies show that trans women don't have an advantage over cis women (muscle mass and testosterone aren't everything). This Guardian piece basically misgenders Lia because she was never a male swimmer--she was assigned male and competed based on that assignment. And it's not like she was suddenly beating everyone all the time; she improved but never broke any records. I get really mad at this because we're seeing some people in surf and skate start to attack trans women competitors.
I shared my 2 cents on Todd's post, but I was also talking to someone who's in marketing for snowboarding and they don't like the gatekeeping. We're losing a lot of nuance amidst the cringing because there are legitimate issues with the choices X Games made, but casual fans are helping keep the sports alive. I remember when a whole bunch of teenage girls got into snowboarding after the 2012 Olympics and I don't think the industry ever capitalized off of that because the girls weren't taken seriously and the core doesn't like trendy things.
So. Many. Thoughts.
1. I dont do wild swimming - because even in a pool I am fairly certain there are sharks lurking and no one needs that crazy disrupting their peaceful outdoor swims. But Wiseman's column seems just...mean-spirited. Find a sport you love and go play it, lady, and chill.
2. The issue of transgender athletes in sports is one that so deeply interests me but also makes me want to put my head in the sand. I wholeheartedly support inclusivity in all things, BUT - and that but makes me cringe - there's science behind the issue and I don't like what the science says because it goes against my deep desire to be inclusive. So I put my head back in the sand. Yet I will continue to read and follow (and feel terrible about it all, all sides).
3. That POOL. On. The. List. ENJOY.
Now I am off to download the app and subscribe or whatever it is I have to do to help support you continuing this very entertaining venue. Thanks for doing the work so I just have to read stuff :)
And then I'm going skiing.
Hey Val! Thanks for the comment and the support! I look forward to trading book and swim geekery in person one of these days
I've been really disgusted at the mainstream media coverage of trans athletics and trans issues in general. They're cherry picking the science since some studies show that trans women don't have an advantage over cis women (muscle mass and testosterone aren't everything). This Guardian piece basically misgenders Lia because she was never a male swimmer--she was assigned male and competed based on that assignment. And it's not like she was suddenly beating everyone all the time; she improved but never broke any records. I get really mad at this because we're seeing some people in surf and skate start to attack trans women competitors.
I shared my 2 cents on Todd's post, but I was also talking to someone who's in marketing for snowboarding and they don't like the gatekeeping. We're losing a lot of nuance amidst the cringing because there are legitimate issues with the choices X Games made, but casual fans are helping keep the sports alive. I remember when a whole bunch of teenage girls got into snowboarding after the 2012 Olympics and I don't think the industry ever capitalized off of that because the girls weren't taken seriously and the core doesn't like trendy things.