thank you! and thank you to the women's sports policy working Group! I'm an old fan of Martinez my whole life and I'm glad she's still fighting and demonstrating what a champion is! I am a retired PE teacher, coach and athlete. We must win this fight to keep women's sport for XX athletes only. The men's category must become inclusive of males of all gender identities And great if they wanna add additional categories. I've written many letters and made donations. What else can I do to join in your effort ?
"Demonstrating what a champion she is" - exactly. Glad you've had a career already devoted to sports and fitness and that you're on our team with letters and donations. We should probably post a "what you can do" list on our site. We are not an official nonprofit (just a "working group" - hence the clunky name :-)) so we're not seeking donations but we do post valuable info and policy recommendations on WomensSportsPolicy.org. Here's a brief list of other ideas for you or others:
1) Become a free or paid subscriber to Stronger Women. Knowing I have have readers who care (and comment, thanks!) is keeping me writing, and I really appreciate the support.
3) Educate others. Gay liberation made tremendous strides in a short while (some of which is being undermined by the trans movement, unfortunately, as you probably know, but that's another story) because we came out to family, friends, colleagues, and beyond. During those conversations, we educated people. So I never underestimate the power of one-on-one conversation. I continue to do this re: female athletes and trans intruders, and to a great extent, it works, with people coming around to understanding an issue they simply had not given much thought to.
4) Follow Martina, Nancy Hogshead, and other feminist leaders on Twitter/X. I'm not very active there myself (@TallMariah) but I repost some info from @CoachBlade, Sharron Davies, ICONS, i_heart-bikes, and others. Amazing what news shows up there that the mainstream press ignores altogether.
That's a starter list - though you've already started. :-) Thanks for asking. Other suggestions?
First, thank goodness you’re back. Second, thank you for sharing your gifts here and inviting us in. Reading about your journey, all the twists and turns, the strong women who’ve been part of your adventure, the sense you’ve made of it all, and what’s pulling you forward these days…it’s a story that somehow — in a way I can’t quite put into words — makes me feel like a stronger woman, too. You are a leader and a light, Mariah.
Heather! What a beautiful inaugural comment on this new venture. So glad this story is meaningful to you already. Thank you for taking the time to reflect on this, to write, and to share that surprise ending: that my story helps you feel like a stronger woman, too. How delightful that we women can do that for each other sometimes - even by simply living our lives out loud. Hooray!
thank you! and thank you to the women's sports policy working Group! I'm an old fan of Martinez my whole life and I'm glad she's still fighting and demonstrating what a champion is! I am a retired PE teacher, coach and athlete. We must win this fight to keep women's sport for XX athletes only. The men's category must become inclusive of males of all gender identities And great if they wanna add additional categories. I've written many letters and made donations. What else can I do to join in your effort ?
Thank you again, Andrea Lipper
Hi Andrea,
"Demonstrating what a champion she is" - exactly. Glad you've had a career already devoted to sports and fitness and that you're on our team with letters and donations. We should probably post a "what you can do" list on our site. We are not an official nonprofit (just a "working group" - hence the clunky name :-)) so we're not seeking donations but we do post valuable info and policy recommendations on WomensSportsPolicy.org. Here's a brief list of other ideas for you or others:
1) Become a free or paid subscriber to Stronger Women. Knowing I have have readers who care (and comment, thanks!) is keeping me writing, and I really appreciate the support.
2) Get educated - and buy the books if possible. Supporting other authors also helps them keep writing. Here's a list of gender/feminist/sports-related books I recommend: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15957374-mariah-nelson?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=sports-gender-feminism
3) Educate others. Gay liberation made tremendous strides in a short while (some of which is being undermined by the trans movement, unfortunately, as you probably know, but that's another story) because we came out to family, friends, colleagues, and beyond. During those conversations, we educated people. So I never underestimate the power of one-on-one conversation. I continue to do this re: female athletes and trans intruders, and to a great extent, it works, with people coming around to understanding an issue they simply had not given much thought to.
4) Follow Martina, Nancy Hogshead, and other feminist leaders on Twitter/X. I'm not very active there myself (@TallMariah) but I repost some info from @CoachBlade, Sharron Davies, ICONS, i_heart-bikes, and others. Amazing what news shows up there that the mainstream press ignores altogether.
That's a starter list - though you've already started. :-) Thanks for asking. Other suggestions?
First, thank goodness you’re back. Second, thank you for sharing your gifts here and inviting us in. Reading about your journey, all the twists and turns, the strong women who’ve been part of your adventure, the sense you’ve made of it all, and what’s pulling you forward these days…it’s a story that somehow — in a way I can’t quite put into words — makes me feel like a stronger woman, too. You are a leader and a light, Mariah.
Heather! What a beautiful inaugural comment on this new venture. So glad this story is meaningful to you already. Thank you for taking the time to reflect on this, to write, and to share that surprise ending: that my story helps you feel like a stronger woman, too. How delightful that we women can do that for each other sometimes - even by simply living our lives out loud. Hooray!