Do better people
Rachel McKinnon has some deep thoughts for people who aren’t respectful of sport and fair play.
Masters women’s track cycling is a rare and special thing. It allows us to extend our competitive careers and not think so much about contracts or going to the Olympics. We’re a small community, and we should take GOOD CARE of each other.
Like, by not competing against each other if we’re not actually women? That kind of GOOD CARE of each other?
Think about the optics of your behaviors. My new friend, multi time Danish elite national champion is now a friend. We bonded. And she chose to wear one of my #sportisahumanright stickers on her jersey on the podium!! That’s a powerful, small action to show her support for me and what I’m doing.
Pat pat pat. His new friend, whose full name he can’t remember (or can’t be bothered to say). His new friend who went along with his pretense. She’s the good kind of woman, the one who doesn’t make a fuss and lets men do whatever they want.
But someone is characteristically and conspicuously off to the side, not sharing the embrace, instead putting her hand behind her back. I had hoped for better from her.
Do better people.
He had hoped for better from her – he, the selfish narcissistic asshole who stole her first place win by cheating his way into the race, he had hoped she would smile in a friendly way as he walked all over her.
Unfuckingbelievable.
Updating to add: there’s more scolding on the next post.
I’ll just let this photo to stand for itself. Two new friends, and a serious supporter of my racing, sharing the joy of achieving hard-won goals. Can’t wait to see Kirsten next year. …and then another who is somewhat less enthused to lose a race against me…off to the side. It’s traditional for everyone on the podium to put their arms around each other’s backs. It’s a group photo.
Hey, you know what else is traditional? For men to race against men. For men not to cheat their way onto women’s teams by announcing that they’re women in a political climate in which people aren’t allowed to respond with “No you’re not.” For competitors not to cheat. That’s what. Self-righteous lectures by a cheater aimed at the woman he cheated out of her win are not needed or wanted.
When one athlete purposefully put that hand behind her own back communicates something that matters. It’s bad sportsmanship.
I have a LOT more to say about this long mess of a week and how much transphobia was just EVERYWHERE.
Bad sportsmanship.
Says the cheating cheater after his successful cheating won him a prize he would never have won if he’d raced against other men.
We have a LOT more to say about this long mess too, and by god we’re saying it.
Cheated out of her win
Yes, nothing quite says grace under pressure and good sportsmanship more than a winner spending an inordinate amount of time whining and complaining because someone who lost to them didn’t congratulate them enough. It’s especially modest and engaging in someone who considers themselves a role model venturing into new territory. Wins people over. Charms the skeptical.
Even if you were to think it’s perfectly fine for a trans woman to compete in women’s sports — which I don’t— MacKinnon is behaving like an entitled boor. Way to keep it classy, guy.
But absolutely typical of how someone with in built male privilege tends to behave towards ‘uppity’ women. Why could that be I wonder? Nope, not coming to me.
There is never enough validation, is there?
The supply has to be continuous, like oxygen. All must admire the Emperor’s New Clothes. Again. And again. And again.
What sport or competition will he move to when he is actually no longer able to
beatcheat women at cyclingDo better, people. Be best. I don’t care do u?
I am fine with McKinnon going on and on and on for days about how this mere real woman did not validate him. The only thing worse than being a sore loser is being a sore winner.
And I am also fine with the breathless “Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic” level hyperbole of the “press releases” McKinnon is sending out to the press. The cringe factor is becoming a thing destined to peak trans thousands, if not millions, of people.
Well done Dawn Orwick. One for the real victory. Two for taking a stand. It took a lot of courage. McKinnon is marshalling flying monkeys. I think we should send whatever respect and solidarity we can Orwick’s way.
An aspect of McKinnon’s rant I feel we’re overlooking is the demand for a cuddle from the fellow cyclist. Lycra ceiling?
I can see crisis meetings of sports administrators right up to Olympic level coming up; and new categories of competition.
1. Women without penises who identify as women. (WWPWIAW)
2. Women without penises who identify as men. (WWPWIAM)
3. Women with penises who identify as women. (WWPWIAW)
3.5 Women with penises who identify as men. (WWPWIAM)
4. Men with penises who identify as men. (MWPWIAM)
5. Men with penises who identify as women. (MWPWIAW)
6. Men without penises who identify as women. (MWPWIAW)
7. Men without penises who identify as men. (MWPWIAM)
8. Men without penises who identify as women without penises. (MWPWIAWWP)
9. Men without penises who identify as men without penises. (MWPWIAMWP)
(NB: Category 3.5 was made necessary by an oversight on my part). But I sincerely hope this helps.
I agree with you. I think the blatantly despicable behavior by deeply dishonorable people like McKinnon will do a lot to turn people off the trans ideology.
It’s not enough to steal this woman’s first place medal. He has to then berate her for not behaving as he demands. She has not shown sufficient submissiveness to him. She has not given him the satisfaction of her touch. She has not given him the satisfaction of bonding with him, of sharing an embrace with him.
How long until MeToo collides with Trans?
I like the way Rhys is almost hiding his bunch of flowers, as if no real man would ever hold flowers. :-)
I also notice his hand is barely touching two’s shoulder, I wouldn’t call that a real embrace, more like how a man power touches a woman when mansplaining.
Once again, Mr….oops…Dr. Public Intellectual has given a masterclass in the use of the English language:
From which I can only assume that his new friend, who is now a friend, is named multi time Danish elite national champion. Is she a racing greyhound and that’s her pedigree name? Well, no, it’s just that McK. thinks that his name is the only one worth seeing. Why the non-hyphenated multi time? I’d have gone with multiple or several-time myself, but what do I know?
Two whole exclamation marks! It’s a sodding sticker, Rhys. Not really that astonishing; people wear them all the time.
Is it really all about you, Rhys, or could it be a show of support for the message? After all, it doesn’t say #sportisMcInnon’sright, and you do not represent the whole of humanity. Maybe back off the ego a tad, fella. Personally, I suspect that Kirsten (a-ha, so she does have a name, but only one, just like Madonna or Liberace) might just be going along because she knows what a vindictive little shit she’s dealing with and how much grief said little shit (and shit’s allies) could cause her.
Oh, dear. If being off to the side is characteristic behaviour of this un-named woman (it’s Dawn Orwick, you ignorant, childish brat) then it cannot be personal. You do know what characteristic means, right?
Nobody is obliged to embrace you, you have no right to expect or demand that they do.
Funny, that, because nobody expected any better from you. Seems like you’re the only one whose expectations weren’t met.
Why? What’s wrong with the people that we are doing?
Huh?
WHAT? You think women should be enthusiastic to be given the privilege of LOSING to you? Jessica Christ on a fucking bicycle, get over yourself.
Again, huh? How many years of serious academic study does it take to reach such heights of incoherence?
Of course you do, because self-importance, vindictiveness, and loving the sound of your own voice is as characteristic of you as is your grade-school level of writing about it.
You forget, we live in rape culture.
@iknklast —
Not just a rape culture; a plaster-a-smile-on-your-face culture, a come-on-don’t-be-like-that culture, a the-most-important-thing-is-getting-along culture, and, of course, a don’t-be-competitive culture. Though, thinking about it, it does seem to be applied a bit unevenly.
Fringe benefit of being trans: you get to demand women touch you, and then if they don’t you can play the victim and call them names like transphobe and TERF.
Harvey Weinstein’s best defense might be to declare that he’s really a woman.
Re rape culture, have you seen this excellent short talk by Renee Gerlich, connecting transgender ideology with neoliberalism and rape culture? Insightful analysis.
https://youtu.be/K3GlmyQ1Y2s
Thank you for the link. Excellent indeed.