Desire and necessity
Andrew Sullivan catches it and then drops it.
Lots of people are telling him that it can’t be the right thing to do if it isn’t fair, which I agree with but think misses his point. He’s not so dim as to be unaware of the paradox in his claim. There can be necessities that are nevertheless unfair to someone.
But having said that, I still find it annoying that he says it may be the right thing to do, because…come on. A guy’s desire to compete against women because he thinks of himself as a woman (assuming he’s not pretending) doesn’t make it the right thing to do. It’s just his desire, that’s all, so why should it trump someone else’s desire when it’s not fair? His life doesn’t depend on it, his health doesn’t depend on it, his basic needs don’t depend on it. He just wants to. That’s not enough to override the “it’s not fair” part.
The whole point of trans activism could be summed up as converting desires to needs in this way, and that’s why it churns out such unconvincing rhetoric.
So cheating isn’t fair, but it’s the right thing to do? Where is the justification for that view, or even a simple coherent explanation? The trouble with these flaming assholes is that they have built their dogma upon a pile of biological sex denying bullshit foundation. It will not hold.
I think it’s pretty clear looking at Sullivan’s tweets and retweets that he agrees that transwomen are men. He uses pronouns as a courtesy, but definitely thinks that ignoring sex is nonsense.
So I don’t know what “it may be right” means, unless he’s just recognizing there’s a current debate being had on whether women’s sports is for women to compete, or for making participants feel good, get in shape, learn sportsmanship and team work, and tire themselves out for their nap.
If Sullivan believes that it is indeed “the right thing to do” then he can explain why he thinks that.
I rather suspect he doesn’t think that though. He probably means it’s the nice or kind thing to do.
However, in all these instances, “right”, “nice” and “kind”, means right/nice/kind to male people is of greater value than right/nice/kind to female people.
The proof of the disparity in athletics is the competitive categories themselves. To pursue this trend down the rabbit hole we would be left with sports akin to the ancient Greek Olympics, which were all male (sexual preference and eye shadow notwithstanding). But the trans cult doesn’t want trans categories (!) which tells the whole story; because what would stop super male athlete Fred from calling himself Wilma, donning some lipstick, and annihilating the wimpy cis-transwomen scrubs in all the trans categories? :P
Same with bathroom facilities. Trans dedicated spaces are not sufficiently affirming of trans “womanhood.” The point is not just to join, but to supplant women. They don’t want to support the feminist fight for women’s rights and safety, they want to take it over, reshape it and redirect its energies and purpose to suit their own needs only. Feminism that does not “center” TIMs is transphobic and branded as “false.” TIMs (i.e. men) are the ones who are supposed to be calling the shots, and women are supposed to willingly, enthusiastically shove over and make room for them, putting their own needs much lower, or on hold altogether. I agree with the observation of another commenter here last week (sorry, I forget who) that at some point they’ll just drop the “trans”altogether, and just insist on being called “women” without any modifier or qualification.
Sadly, of course. They can’t just call themselves “women” because even the most fervent knows deep down inside that is nonsense. So they need the “special” word to make it work, even for them.
Oh no, Brian, I’ve argued with two so far who state they are not only TW, but female as well. Chase Strangio argues the same. Special and the same. Just “another kind of woman”, like Black women, or Hispanic women, tall women, fun women, fierce women, disabled women and so on.
Going by what others have said about what he writes, I’m wondering if he meant that it is a societal claim (by some members of society) that it is the right thing to do, and would have put it in scare quotes but ran out of characters; and so doesn’t believe it himself, because it isn’t fair.
Athletic competitiveness is cultivated to such an unhinged degree (consider high-school football in red states) that the ‘trans athlete’ ought to be surveyed and studied more seriously. How many self-declarations of femaleness are ACTUALLY focused on cheap victories, and how many ‘heroic’ trans-athletes are just finding a competitive bonus?
@7 Chasio has said biological sex doesn’t exist (no shit, Chasio actually said that), so that leaves it wide open for the trans cult self declarers. I guess if you have an ACLU pettifogger on your side, you must be in the right. :P
@ JtD: given the levels of athletic competitiveness and money, prestige etc tied up in it, I’d be shocked if no talent scouts weren’t actively trying to recruit male students for the female teams, leagues and spots. Given that an untrained male athlete is already competitive in many sports, one willing to train will blitz the competition, win the prizes, improve the school’s standing, and tick the diversity boxes.
@ twiliter: yes, I read that, “for being weaponised against people” which doesn’t square with Strangio’s other claim that trans girls are biologically female, but I’ve given up on expecting consistency from them.