The transgenders in sport debate

is not something I have wanted to discuss with anyone. My own belief is that a person's sexual leaning is their affair. I see it as a private matter. 

If life was simple I would see a male/female and sperm/egg divide. I also know there are people who have a strong desire to be the opposite of the male or female they were at birth. It seems to me that such a desire is not possible to achieve although there are ways in which partial adjustments can be made.  I know people who have endured medical interference in an attempt to become what they were not at birth. Yes it does require endurance and yes it is medical interference. It can be physically as well as emotionally painful. Whether it is right or wrong is for those involved to judge, not me.

What does concern me though is the demand for unequal "equality". Let me explain.

I had to actually go to a meeting last week. It's a small committee and we know one another pretty well. One of the other members brought up the transgender issue with me while we were waiting for the meeting to start. 

"I wasn't sure about coming today. One of the residents is transitioning and it is proving very difficult for everyone."  I could guess which resident. I can also imagine that, in that particular residence, there are some major issues to be addressed. What is more I am not at all certain that transitioning is going to help that particular person. It may well make matters worse than before. S/he already has some other  and very serious issues. My fellow committee member is of the same view. But the resident has been to "counselling" and the process has begun. I hope it works and I am wrong about the likely outcome but I am concerned for him/her and the other residents in the group house.

Someone else joined  in at that point and said, "Well J.... has just stopped playing basketball because of this sort of thing. There is a girl-boy on the team and 'she' is much bigger and so J... was getting knocked around. The coach says B....has the right to play on the team and that we are just prejudiced. It isn't that at all. She is just so much bigger than any of the other girls. They are supposed to use the same changing room too and now the girls don't want to change in there. I didn't want her to give it up but it isn't safe." 

There was a robust discussion at this point about "responsible" parenting. I don't have children so I kept my thoughts to myself but I do feel there are issues that need to be addressed. Everyone feels safe and secure and welcome. It also means that there might be places and times where adjustments do need to be made. 

Young girls are often very self-conscious about the changes to their bodies. I believe this needs to be respected just as much as the right of the child who wants to transition being able to change in the change room of their choice. I know there are people who disagree with me - and who may well disagree with me here.

There is a woman in this district who has transitioned. She is very tall, indeed very tall for the male she once was. Her general physique is much like that expected of a footballer. I don't know if she plays any sport but I have tried to imagine her on a female basketball team. I find it difficult to believe that any team she was on would not be at an advantage if she had even a modicum of skill. How do you balance that out against the right of others to play a truly competitive game?  

There are often good reasons to deny people the right to certain activities. There might also be the means to allow them to participate in other ways or in limited ways. I know of a man with Down Syndrome who is able to use a ride on mower on the family farm. He is very good at it - but there is no way he could get a licence to drive a vehicle on the roads. He knows that.

I had a blind friend who was incredibly fit. He was a solicitor. He and his dog walked into the city office each day. He played cricket at weekends - with other visually impaired men. He did not expect to be on the local team for the sighted. His view of the world was perhaps what we might term "realistic".

Is there one answer to the transgenders in sport issue? I doubt it. At the same time I think there is a need to accept there might be some limits imposed on any of us - imposed for the safety and benefit of other people.