I've come to the point where I think every case should be considered as a standalone. Even if Lia Thomas wasn't a top male swimmer, she was at least good enough to swim in college. So maybe she shouldn't have been competing against women. It would have been terrible for her to not get to swim, but do you give more weight to her perspective or that of the other swimmers?

If there is a young woman who transitioned as a young teen or before puberty or 10 years ago, whatever, and she earns a place on a girls' team, her situation would be very different than Lia's. I don't think trans girls should ever be denied the opportunity to play on girls' teams, including high school. The be-all/end-all of high school sports is not for any given individual to win a championship. It may be for them to get to college, maybe not. But the presence of one or two transgender athletes in any given state does not create an unfair situation, particularly in sports like swimming and track, where it's all about your time. And I certainly think at that stage of their lives, giving these teens a place to belong should be a paramount goal of any school that might have such a child enrolled.

You and many others on this board seem to be dead set against against not just Lia Thomas, but the very idea of being transgender. That attitude has led to some hateful, extremely harmful legislation being enacted in various states. Adults who have never watched a girl or a woman compete in sports are writing laws to marginalize some of the most vulnerable people in this country. Many of the states passing the laws can't even find an example in their state to which it would apply. It's pure hatred.

I get that it's a complex, uncomfortable situation. Being transgender is far outside what most people experience in life, and there are so many people who cannot find any compassion, yourself obviously included.
[Post edited by Fuzzy Dunlop at 06/22/2023 11:49AM]