Only one perspective ever matters
The Beeb might as well hire McKinnon at this rate.
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has apologised for using the term “cheating” when discussing whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sport.
Navratilova – one of the most successful tennis players of all time – has been criticised as “transphobic” for writing that transgender women had “unfair” physical advantages over female opponents.
There it is again – the “somebody called her transphobic” well-poisoning right at the beginning, so that readers will be fully primed to despise Navratilova before they even know what she said.
On Saturday, former British swimmer Sharron Davies told BBC Sport that many current athletes “feel the same way” and that trans athletes should not compete in female events to “protect women’s sport”.
However, transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon, who won a UCI Masters Track World Championship title in October, said Davies was “sharing hate speech”.
Athlete Ally – a US-based organisation that campaigns for LGBT sportspeople – cut its links with Navratilova in the wake of the 62-year-old’s original comments, saying they “perpetuate dangerous myths”.
And there that is again – giving Navratilova’s age but not giving McKinnon’s age.
They’ve chosen a side and they’re sticking to it.
Navratilova makes a cogent argument about women's sport and the headlines are on those who take offence. She then develops it and the headlines are on her choice of language. Only one perspective ever matters. https://t.co/q1JfzyZZ6P
— Victoria Smith (@glosswitch) March 3, 2019
It’s what the British Brexit Corporation do. They have a small list of “controversial” talking heads that they will trot out at any given opportunity: Farage at one time, Rees-Fucking-Mogg (that’s his actual full name – he drops the middle element for brevity), etc.
It’s sad to see the depths to which the BBC has sunk.
I find this kind of amusing, given that a common complaint is journalists often gratuitously note women’s ages but don’t do the same for men. Apparently their subconscious minds are transphobic and they’re not accepting McKinnon as a real women!
(Why do they ever give anybody’s age anyway, unless it actually has something to do with the story?)
I’m disappointed Navratilova apologized. She had nothing to apologize for here. It is cheating.
When I was young I used to regard the BBC as the gold standard (naive I know). I’ve since come to realise they just hide at time considerable bias behind a strong veil of dignity and beautiful accents. Life is so hard when you actually have to think instead of just let that beautiful flow of language seep into you.
#2 Ha, Skeletor, I just made that point at the “One Campaign Group Said”. Jinx.
#4 Heh. Can I pass on the jinx to McKinnon? Nothing serious, just maybe a flat tire in her next big race…
So when’s the McKinnon/van Gogh bike-off to decide the women’s championship? Or are they waiting for at least one other trans cyclist to ensure podium purity.
I learned today that I am blocked by McKinnon on Twitter. I have never issued a tweet. I guess I like the “wrong” tweets or follow the “wrong” people.
There are several block bots for people who wrongthink trans issues. I’m blocked by many people I’ve never interacted with. (How do I know? I’ll see something crazed or threat-laden and seek out the source to learn more and find that I’m blocked by this person I’d never heard of until 10 seconds earlier.)
Oh, please, please let them be known as ‘she-cock-block bots’.
*feverishly checks* – yeah, I’m blocked too.
They can’t block me, because I am not on Twitter. Hah! That’ll show them.