“We were told that it will be our fault if this transgender athlete takes their life,” fourteen-year-old Annaleigh Wilson explained in a speech after she lost a Junior Olympics race to a boy.”
Let that sink in.
Who told teenage girls and a junior Olympian teenage girl that they are responsible if a boy takes his life if they don’t let me do whatever the fuck he wants? Can we get a receipt as to who told her this?
But who will be at fault, if a girl ever takes her life after being robbed of any chance she might have had by being put second over and over again in favour of a boy claiming to be a girl? Or, to give a realistic example that will without doubt happen or already happened:
Who is then at fault, when one of the wonderful trans women who get access to women's spaces solely on the sayso, rapes, injures and severely traumatised a woman? They took the side of a guy who broke his former girlfriend's jaw, sent her to the hospital in a brutal act of domestic violence, and then took her name when he claimed to be female, and immediately went and harassed women in a aports studio. Who will be responsible when he sends the next woman to the hospital or escalates and kills her?
It’s not about sports, for the boys. It’s narcissism. They’re nobodies in the men’s league, but superstars in the women’s, with the added boost of all the attention given them simply because they’re doing something outrageous.
Exactly. For the boys, it’s essential. For the girls… what, girls never really wanted or deserved to take sports seriously anyway? We’ve got to help people see how sexist this is. The ultimate double standard: girls’ sports for boys — but no fair sports for girls.
Yes - Thanks for taking a moment to notice how abusive this "be kind to trans people" experience is in reality for young girls and women. The swimmers at Penn were basically told the same thing: that Lia Thomas was emotionally fragile, since it's so hard to be trans, and thus the women needed not to upset him by confronting or challenging him. In other words, his allegedly emotional fragility was their problem to solve, and they must sacrifice their own athletic goals, dignity, and safety to appease him.
And similarly, the media bit made a very big deal about this, as if she were breaking new ground, when in fact, she was just inadvertently demonstrating that women always stay in their own category regardless of identity. So obviously, men could do it too.
Thank you, as ever, Mariah, for your rational, cogent, sensible, evidence-based writing.
The NYT and other supposedly "liberal" media are being grossly irresponsible. I wish I could say they will get their comeuppance someday, but I'm increasingly pessimistic about that.
Even if an adherent to the trans mythology does realize his error and, in the case of a medical professional, gets a glimpse of the horror for which he's responsible, we cannot expect to see any public admission. He will simply go silent.
The mythology will disappear eventually but, I expect, very slowly. First, there's that well-known flaw in human reasoning, the Confirmation Bias. In its extreme form, when confronted with evidence contradicting a cherished belief, we often do not merely discount the evidence but double down on our pre-existing conviction. Second, there's peer pressure or tribalism, which, let's face it, can overwhelm any amount of empirical evidence. Any scholar or scientist or, for that matter, any lawyer or public official who begins to doubt the so-called "settled science" will know to keep quiet and not contradict his peers or superiors or the Better People.
All the people who've perpetrated this fraud -- in many cases, criminally so -- will just try to memory-hole it in the years to come. They'll go crawling quietly back into the woodwork, hoping the rest of us will forget. We won't; but neither do I expect justice to be served and those people to be punished.
Well said, Mariah—and I thought this a particularly important point about which I suspect most non-athletes may not be aware: “Readers also need to understand that female sports are designed around female physiology: smaller balls, lower nets, and other adjusted equipment and dimensions. A male athlete in the female category is not simply playing on a women’s team but competing within a system calibrated for female bodies. When media coverage omits this context, that silence obscures the very difference the categories were created to address.”
Yes, you’re right; mostly nonathletes don’t know this, and it only becomes relevant once males start taking advantage of women’s smaller stature, etc. by invading our spaces. Without that, it’s not particularly worth noting; of COURSE women have lower hurdles; they’re shorter and don’t leap as high. Of COURSE we drive from a closer tee in golf, because we don’t drive golf balls the same distance men do.
Right! And, speaking as one of those non-athletes, it's not something I'd ever had occasion to think about myself UNTIL this all came up. I'm pretty sure I learned about this from you and WSPWG, BTW.
Always interesting to note that ‘transmen’ elect to participate in their own sex category, rather than risk safety and being nobodies in the male’s.
This is proper inclusion (as long as they aren’t doping on T!) and, to me shows that the real issue isn’t about trans at all, but is secondary to where the trans identifying person can most benefit in sport! Males of course can just as well participate in the male category, but of course, they will ’shine’ a lot more when they encroach into the female category.
I have no clue, why the Media ignore this glaring difference between MtoF and FtoM in sports! Why are they ignoring the primacy of safety and fairness? It’s as though they clearly know who the men are!
Thank you Mariah. Wonderful piece. As a former grammar school and high school athlete, I am so saddened by what is happening to women and girls in the name of “inclusion”. Every aspect of our privacy and safety has been altered for the sake of male validation.
Of course trans identified females continue to play on women’s teams, because they can’t compete with men and make their teams! Not too long ago, everyone knew and understood that there are significant physiological differences between males and females after puberty- including Serena Williams who said so on the David Letterman show in 2008. It wasn’t considered “transphobic” to say the truth then, why is it “transphobic” now? I am being cynical because we all know why, including the trans zealots and the dominant media propping up the gender flim-flam narrative. Title IX was passed into law to facilitate the end of “sex” discrimination in education, particularly with respect to admissions and sports. It was the genesis for girls’ and women’s sports, so females could have the same opportunities at the scholastic level as boys and men. This notion that men, regardless of how much or little they do to “transform” their bodies, has the right to compete as women is straight up misogyny.
We are tired of hearing that any criticism of gender ideology is unkind or mean. There is nothing unkind about considering the implications to women and girls as a sex class as it relates to gender ideology- in fact it would have been fair and proper to debate these momentous changes taking place before implementing and inflicting them on vulnerable children and women. And it isn’t mean to tell the truth to vulnerable children experiencing emotional trauma or mental distress and support them emotionally as gender non conforming without medicalizing or mutilating them.
Hopefully, some time in the not too distant future the dominant media will start doing the job of journalism and push back on the “trans” narrative, especially when someone like yourself submits an opinion piece. But I am not holding my breath.
Thank you, Robin. We will win. At least on the sports front. I’ve got to believe that. It keeps me going. And truth is: A huge amount of progress has already been made.
Yes - it’s quintessential sexism: Prioritizing men’s feelings and desires over women’s needs, fairness, and safety. And yes, the fact that women keep competing against women shows that the men’s insistence on competing against women is about a better chance of success - plus the egotism, even narcissism of “look at me, I’m female; you need to “affirm” that.”
It’s so depressing that organisations and sports bodies - even former athletes (who know better), keep on throwing women and girls under the bus! They know male participation in the female category neutralises and often destroys the value of the competition; so what is the point? Why are they rooting for the men and boys to cheat? Why is their claim to ‘validation’ more legitimate than fair and safe sport for females? It really angers me when people cheer on a boy who beats the next girl in triple jump by 11’! Who also takes away the girls’ titles in high jump and long jump! It’s so obviously absurd and destructive towards the girls. It is ridiculous that his narcissistic (and predatory) behaviour imo, is elevated above all of the girls! What a terrible message of learned helplessness they are being subject to! Sport should grow an athlete’s confidence, not crush it!
We must keep shouting from the rooftops until those who should do, start protecting women and girls and the female category! Keep up the good work Mariah!
Thank you! And yes, same. They are beholden to the trans activists, probably for a variety of reasons. Often, there are trans-identified staffers -- or relatives of those staffers -- vetoing any opinions they deem ant-trans.
Well done!
Thanks BR.
“We were told that it will be our fault if this transgender athlete takes their life,” fourteen-year-old Annaleigh Wilson explained in a speech after she lost a Junior Olympics race to a boy.”
Let that sink in.
Who told teenage girls and a junior Olympian teenage girl that they are responsible if a boy takes his life if they don’t let me do whatever the fuck he wants? Can we get a receipt as to who told her this?
But who will be at fault, if a girl ever takes her life after being robbed of any chance she might have had by being put second over and over again in favour of a boy claiming to be a girl? Or, to give a realistic example that will without doubt happen or already happened:
Who is then at fault, when one of the wonderful trans women who get access to women's spaces solely on the sayso, rapes, injures and severely traumatised a woman? They took the side of a guy who broke his former girlfriend's jaw, sent her to the hospital in a brutal act of domestic violence, and then took her name when he claimed to be female, and immediately went and harassed women in a aports studio. Who will be responsible when he sends the next woman to the hospital or escalates and kills her?
I like how sports are soooooo important to these boys but the girls are supposed to get over it.
It’s not about sports, for the boys. It’s narcissism. They’re nobodies in the men’s league, but superstars in the women’s, with the added boost of all the attention given them simply because they’re doing something outrageous.
Indeed, but that's what we're meant to believe -- they just want to play and have fun with their friends! 🥹🥺
Yes, but what a twisted concept of "friends!"
Exactly. For the boys, it’s essential. For the girls… what, girls never really wanted or deserved to take sports seriously anyway? We’ve got to help people see how sexist this is. The ultimate double standard: girls’ sports for boys — but no fair sports for girls.
Girls have only even had sports scholarships for a short amount of time....
Yes - Thanks for taking a moment to notice how abusive this "be kind to trans people" experience is in reality for young girls and women. The swimmers at Penn were basically told the same thing: that Lia Thomas was emotionally fragile, since it's so hard to be trans, and thus the women needed not to upset him by confronting or challenging him. In other words, his allegedly emotional fragility was their problem to solve, and they must sacrifice their own athletic goals, dignity, and safety to appease him.
Clear, forthright, and backed up with citations. Brava! It's ludicrous that the Times won't print this, but these are times in which we live.
Another example of “trans men” competing in the women’s category is Elis Lundholm, a Swedish skier who just competed in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
And similarly, the media bit made a very big deal about this, as if she were breaking new ground, when in fact, she was just inadvertently demonstrating that women always stay in their own category regardless of identity. So obviously, men could do it too.
And the TRAs were angry at her for that!
Ha. Of course they were.
I’m shocked, shocked that the Times declined this. Did they give a reason?
No. They almost never do. And with so many submissions, I get it that they don’t have time to do that.
Thank you, as ever, Mariah, for your rational, cogent, sensible, evidence-based writing.
The NYT and other supposedly "liberal" media are being grossly irresponsible. I wish I could say they will get their comeuppance someday, but I'm increasingly pessimistic about that.
Still, we have the receipts!
Even if an adherent to the trans mythology does realize his error and, in the case of a medical professional, gets a glimpse of the horror for which he's responsible, we cannot expect to see any public admission. He will simply go silent.
The mythology will disappear eventually but, I expect, very slowly. First, there's that well-known flaw in human reasoning, the Confirmation Bias. In its extreme form, when confronted with evidence contradicting a cherished belief, we often do not merely discount the evidence but double down on our pre-existing conviction. Second, there's peer pressure or tribalism, which, let's face it, can overwhelm any amount of empirical evidence. Any scholar or scientist or, for that matter, any lawyer or public official who begins to doubt the so-called "settled science" will know to keep quiet and not contradict his peers or superiors or the Better People.
John, agreed.
All the people who've perpetrated this fraud -- in many cases, criminally so -- will just try to memory-hole it in the years to come. They'll go crawling quietly back into the woodwork, hoping the rest of us will forget. We won't; but neither do I expect justice to be served and those people to be punished.
Persistence. Collaboration. Facts. We’ve just gotta keep on keeping on.
Well said, Mariah—and I thought this a particularly important point about which I suspect most non-athletes may not be aware: “Readers also need to understand that female sports are designed around female physiology: smaller balls, lower nets, and other adjusted equipment and dimensions. A male athlete in the female category is not simply playing on a women’s team but competing within a system calibrated for female bodies. When media coverage omits this context, that silence obscures the very difference the categories were created to address.”
Yes, you’re right; mostly nonathletes don’t know this, and it only becomes relevant once males start taking advantage of women’s smaller stature, etc. by invading our spaces. Without that, it’s not particularly worth noting; of COURSE women have lower hurdles; they’re shorter and don’t leap as high. Of COURSE we drive from a closer tee in golf, because we don’t drive golf balls the same distance men do.
Right! And, speaking as one of those non-athletes, it's not something I'd ever had occasion to think about myself UNTIL this all came up. I'm pretty sure I learned about this from you and WSPWG, BTW.
Yes, we collected & published the first list of these equipment & rules differences.
Why am I not surprised 👏❤️👏
🙏🙏🙏
Here are 41 sports where men’s greater size and strength gives them this invisible advantage because the equipment was specifically calibrated for women. https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/27-more-reasons-males-dont-belong?utm_source=publication-search
As always, Mariah, totally on point!!
Thanks so much, Maggie. We’ve got to take care of your granddaughters!
https://x.com/aridrennen/status/2051771019166441693?s=46
Always interesting to note that ‘transmen’ elect to participate in their own sex category, rather than risk safety and being nobodies in the male’s.
This is proper inclusion (as long as they aren’t doping on T!) and, to me shows that the real issue isn’t about trans at all, but is secondary to where the trans identifying person can most benefit in sport! Males of course can just as well participate in the male category, but of course, they will ’shine’ a lot more when they encroach into the female category.
I have no clue, why the Media ignore this glaring difference between MtoF and FtoM in sports! Why are they ignoring the primacy of safety and fairness? It’s as though they clearly know who the men are!
You’re right. I need to stay positive. 💙
Well… or not. Just to be clear – there was no implied criticism on my part. I loved your post. I just was hoping to be encouraging.😀
No worries 😉. Didn’t take it as criticism.
Thank you Mariah. Wonderful piece. As a former grammar school and high school athlete, I am so saddened by what is happening to women and girls in the name of “inclusion”. Every aspect of our privacy and safety has been altered for the sake of male validation.
Of course trans identified females continue to play on women’s teams, because they can’t compete with men and make their teams! Not too long ago, everyone knew and understood that there are significant physiological differences between males and females after puberty- including Serena Williams who said so on the David Letterman show in 2008. It wasn’t considered “transphobic” to say the truth then, why is it “transphobic” now? I am being cynical because we all know why, including the trans zealots and the dominant media propping up the gender flim-flam narrative. Title IX was passed into law to facilitate the end of “sex” discrimination in education, particularly with respect to admissions and sports. It was the genesis for girls’ and women’s sports, so females could have the same opportunities at the scholastic level as boys and men. This notion that men, regardless of how much or little they do to “transform” their bodies, has the right to compete as women is straight up misogyny.
We are tired of hearing that any criticism of gender ideology is unkind or mean. There is nothing unkind about considering the implications to women and girls as a sex class as it relates to gender ideology- in fact it would have been fair and proper to debate these momentous changes taking place before implementing and inflicting them on vulnerable children and women. And it isn’t mean to tell the truth to vulnerable children experiencing emotional trauma or mental distress and support them emotionally as gender non conforming without medicalizing or mutilating them.
Hopefully, some time in the not too distant future the dominant media will start doing the job of journalism and push back on the “trans” narrative, especially when someone like yourself submits an opinion piece. But I am not holding my breath.
Thank you, Robin. We will win. At least on the sports front. I’ve got to believe that. It keeps me going. And truth is: A huge amount of progress has already been made.
Truth and reality will win! 🥇
Yes - it’s quintessential sexism: Prioritizing men’s feelings and desires over women’s needs, fairness, and safety. And yes, the fact that women keep competing against women shows that the men’s insistence on competing against women is about a better chance of success - plus the egotism, even narcissism of “look at me, I’m female; you need to “affirm” that.”
It’s so depressing that organisations and sports bodies - even former athletes (who know better), keep on throwing women and girls under the bus! They know male participation in the female category neutralises and often destroys the value of the competition; so what is the point? Why are they rooting for the men and boys to cheat? Why is their claim to ‘validation’ more legitimate than fair and safe sport for females? It really angers me when people cheer on a boy who beats the next girl in triple jump by 11’! Who also takes away the girls’ titles in high jump and long jump! It’s so obviously absurd and destructive towards the girls. It is ridiculous that his narcissistic (and predatory) behaviour imo, is elevated above all of the girls! What a terrible message of learned helplessness they are being subject to! Sport should grow an athlete’s confidence, not crush it!
We must keep shouting from the rooftops until those who should do, start protecting women and girls and the female category! Keep up the good work Mariah!
Yes, depressing, astounding, and motivating. Thanks so much for joining me and speaking up resisting in all the ways we can think of.
This is excellent, Mariah. The NYT’s mendacity and sexism on this subject makes me question all of their coverage.
Thank you! And yes, same. They are beholden to the trans activists, probably for a variety of reasons. Often, there are trans-identified staffers -- or relatives of those staffers -- vetoing any opinions they deem ant-trans.
Beautifully written. Your reasoning is unassailable and puts them to shame. No wonder they won’t print it, though, of course, they should.
Hey Eliza, thanks so much.