Race, gender and sport

Gender policing is a big topic in sports in today’s society. More and more athletes are starting to become comfortable expressing who they feel they truly are. They should not be penalized for wishing to participate in a sport of their choosing while also expressing themselves for who they feel they are. I do see it being a difficult topic to outline rules and regulations for. Men and women are genetically different, it is what it is. Men have an upperhand when it comes to strength. That is why the big arguments have to deal with a male transitioning to a female and wishing to compete as a female, with male genetics. They would be seen as having an advantage. But if a girl were to transition from being male, there isn’t as much expressed because “how could they compete with real males”? Chris Mosier is shutting the door on that conversation, as he is qualifying for his fifth national duathlon.

It is almost common knowledge that the sports industry is dominated by the male side of it. They are “more exciting to watch”. But I believe that society just doesn’t take the time to sit, watch, and appreciate women’s sports and what they are capable of doing. If anything, they have more to struggle with. Girls go through a drastic change in their bodies during puberty, as do boys, but the female body undergoes many more changes. This makes it more difficult for girls to be level with males in sports, but they are starting to catch up to them.

RESPONSE 2 TO ANDREW

It is no secret that for ages men and woman have been treated differently in sports, especially when it comes to their physical appearances. In the case mentioned above the governing bodies of organized sports stereotype athletes, especially woman athlete by what is typically social standards of what a woman should look like. And because of this these governing bodies have cast discrimination upon a lot of women and transgender athletes because of their physical appearances. My modern society standards men are looked upon as the faster, stronger and more dominant sex and because of this many women and transgender athletes who have a more masculine physique are often treated differently. I do not believe that someone should be treated differently by how they look and in the case of transgender athletes we should respect their gender identification.

In the case of Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood and many athletes like them, I do not think it should matter what they identify as to play a sport they are passionate about. I do understand that in their case they are being given hormones to help with their transitions, however, if those hormones are not breaking sports governing body laws then let them be. At the end of the day, they are all just trying to live their truth and we as a society should be more accepting of them, especially in organized sports industries.