The Moving Line: LGBTQ Hatred and Trans Women in Sports

America has faced a sudden snap in attitude towards LGBTQ+ people recently. It wasn’t a real “thing” to be queer just 20 years ago. Same-sex marriage wasn’t legal nationally until 2015. As our society broke towards the era of acceptance, which I would posit began around 10 years ago, older generations were left in the dust. This created a schism in our society very quickly. People sometimes call the morality of being LGBTQ+ into question, naming it as immoral. Alex O’Connor, a graduate of philosophy and theology from Oxford University, poses that something can be judged morally if and only if it affects

well-being and is a conscious choice. 

For example, if someone chooses to snap their fingers, that is a conscious choice but it does not affect wellbeing. Similarly, if someone has Tourette’s and says something offensive that affects well-being, they cannot be held morally accountable because it was not a conscious choice of theirs.

If we assume that someone is born into their sexuality and gender, meaning people are born gay/straight/transgender/cisgender, then it is an unconscious choice and cannot be judged upon in morals. Even if we tag those traits to events during a child’s formative years, then it is still an unconscious action that cannot be controlled because you have no choice over your environment when you are young. However, neither case affects well-being. Furthermore, the simple virtue of being queer is nonmoral, meaning it has nothing to do with morality.

A feature commonly used to try to justify the exclusion of LGBTQ+ rights is the basis of religion (in America, specifically Christianity). While I do not believe in god myself, I am not one to throw stumbling blocks into others’ religious beliefs. I do however urge those who use Christianity as a basis for discrimination to look further into the bible. The verses that call into question the biblical view of homosexuality do so in the context of concerns for population growth and infection (What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?, n.d.). It does bring it up in the context of child predators, but it does not suggest that it has anything to do with their sexuality. The people who lived in that time period would not have had any concept of sexuality period, so they wouldn’t have the ability to classify homosexuality as a sin.

Many bible verses speak of acts that we as a society can agree are morally reprehensible. I grew up in churches that preached nothing but kindness, love, and understanding. Jesus would not be happy with how so many of his children have taken his

teachings.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you,” (Matthew 7:1-2).

These qualms come to a head in the famed debate on trans women competing in sports.

First, let’s define the argument being made. One side argues that because transgender women were born male they would have a biological advantage due to muscle mass, hormone levels, wingspan, height, etc.

There are not many citations that could be made to support this claim. On the contrary, there are countless to support the opposite. For example, Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review, a Canadian government-backed study, states, “Available evidence indicates trans women who have undergone testosterone suppression have no clear biological advantages over cis women in elite sport.”

“What if there was?” you ask.

Well, to that I say that the entire system of sports needs reworking anyway. As our sports system stands, a good amount of the people who make it to the top are people who won the genetic lottery, hid their steroids better, and/or were born into wealth. That violates the very thing that sports were created to accomplish: find out who does something the best. An argument could be made that the Serena Williamses of the world, that is, people born with huge proportions, are the people who are the best at their sport. I would disagree because I find that line of thinking to be narrow-minded and draconian.

The remedy to this problem is something that has already been done before. We need subdivisions for sports. As an extension to the weight classes MMA possesses, I propose the use of weight, wingspan, height, muscle mass, and hormone levels to be determiners in the matchups people face. This system will lead to accurate and measured play, with the only variable left being their strategic ability, training regimen, and skill at the

sport.

Of course, this plan likely would never be implemented because it is more nuanced than using an arbitrary system such as biological sex. Frankly, the class system is less interesting than our current system. To separate it into groups would mean that dozens more matchups would have to take place. Less people would watch. But what this proves is that sports was never centered around equity, it was centered on appealing to the public.

Furthermore,

The real issue that people have with trans women in sports is that it’s different than everything they have known, not due to the false basis of fairness. People can use religion and the misuse of the word equity as a red herring to justify their intolerance. People never really cared about sports, they cared about discrimination. This debate has been used as a scapegoat to harm the trans community. The line moves to fit where people want to impose their will. Centuries of oppression and hive mentality culminate into the stain on our society that is modern intolerance.

What you can do to help is simply talk about it. Most times, people do not understand that their views are harmful. If the situation is safe enough to do so, have an open discussion with them about it. Often, the only people whose minds you can open are those who love you unconditionally. Family, close friends, etc. Even if you don’t change their mind at all, you put a crack in their beliefs and planted a seed of acceptance in their head. The only way we can make progress is through dialogue and kindness.