I enjoy nerdy details and the book references alone were valuable.
I find the “debate” fairly amazing. Socially, we allocate certain honors, rights and priveliges to women on the basis of their sex. Full stop.
One doesn’t have to argue relative capability.
Men can claim they are female - they “feel” female - but that’s not an indication of reality any more than an AI stating it is conscious, or Pinnochio claiming he’s a real boy.
We can observe one clear indication - they are mimicking female by intent or delusion. We can never knows which, but it is irrelevant. They are male.
Female sports, association on the basis of female sex, and exclusion of men is a right.
My bad. I was trying to be respectful of such a worthy honor for her, and yet I still messed it up. Hopefully she won’t be offended at my colonial lack of grace.
Clarity and definitions do matter! Excellent article, loved it, should be the required reading! Thank you!
Dr. Brown, could you recommend few good books on the anatomy and physiology for adolescents? I recently bought Learn Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology by Emma S. Alexander for a 13 year old. The book did not have a chapter on Sex and Reproduction and not much about hormones. I guess we now have to be afraid to teach the reality and this is exactly what young people need. Thank you !
Theparadoxinstitute.org has some great educational materials specifically on sex development. I’ll need to give some more thought on A&P books for teens. Too many contain ideological content rather than just biology.
Thank you! The Paradox Institute site looks like a good source of articles. I briefly read through a few of them , but didn’t yet find a conversation about gametes, large - ova (egg) and small - sperm. The gametes define sex and are universal across the animal kingdom. Also, it seems to me, talking about gametes is most understandable and vivid explanation for teens and anyone who is either confused or became confused by the insane pseudoscience that the ideology tries to promulgate.
Colin Wright has an excellent article(s) on gametes, there are excellent YouTube segments by other evolutionary biologists as well, but it’s not likely the teens will read the articles or watch those YouTube segments. They would prefer books. This is why I am looking for good books. I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and I am probably not alone. The science biology books, grade appropriate, should be accessible in schools, if we don’t wish the pseudoscience stay with us much longer.
Thanks for this. I think this is an area where there is an unavoidable conflict between fairness and inclusion, and ultimately it’s a societal decision where to draw the line.
Ben, respectfully, there should not be any question about a "societal decision" here. The implication by your comment is that society could decide that women have no sex-based rights. Tragically, this has happened as society has decided in many instances that it is ok for males to be in women's sports, prisons, rape crisis centers, etc. But this is all completely unacceptable. "Society" is finally realizing that permitting men in women's spaces is wrong, dangerous to women, disrespectful to women....and I could go on and on....
People like Emma Vigeland come right out and say, "I don't care about fairness; I think trans women should qualify as women in sports. That is a clear, coherent point of view, with which I disagree.
Then there are those like Chase Strangio who act as if we do not know that men possess an athletic advantage, and that's either dishonest or disconnection from the real world. In either case, that point of view is neither clear nor coherent.
Good analysis and nice to see a glass filling up in these dark times.
But we've got to start using the term 'trans identifying males' instead of trans-women because using a false term as axiomatic concedes important ground instantly and softens the bones of our arguments.
Imo, because the argument from 'fairness' can be neutralized by handicapping, (which hasn't been suggested... yet), it renders it insufficient.
And it's also unnecessary because I DON'T CARE if a man is missing both thumbs and his left foot; he can't compete against women because he is NOT A WOMAN!
Great read.
I enjoy nerdy details and the book references alone were valuable.
I find the “debate” fairly amazing. Socially, we allocate certain honors, rights and priveliges to women on the basis of their sex. Full stop.
One doesn’t have to argue relative capability.
Men can claim they are female - they “feel” female - but that’s not an indication of reality any more than an AI stating it is conscious, or Pinnochio claiming he’s a real boy.
We can observe one clear indication - they are mimicking female by intent or delusion. We can never knows which, but it is irrelevant. They are male.
Female sports, association on the basis of female sex, and exclusion of men is a right.
That’s all.
Greg, Thank you for a WONDERFUL post. So well written (no surprise). Great reference list as well. Headed to DC next week for rally at SCOTUS!
Correction: it's Dame Sharron Davies, not Lady (latter title reserved for wife or daughter of peer).
My bad. I was trying to be respectful of such a worthy honor for her, and yet I still messed it up. Hopefully she won’t be offended at my colonial lack of grace.
Clarity and definitions do matter! Excellent article, loved it, should be the required reading! Thank you!
Dr. Brown, could you recommend few good books on the anatomy and physiology for adolescents? I recently bought Learn Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology by Emma S. Alexander for a 13 year old. The book did not have a chapter on Sex and Reproduction and not much about hormones. I guess we now have to be afraid to teach the reality and this is exactly what young people need. Thank you !
Theparadoxinstitute.org has some great educational materials specifically on sex development. I’ll need to give some more thought on A&P books for teens. Too many contain ideological content rather than just biology.
Thank you! The Paradox Institute site looks like a good source of articles. I briefly read through a few of them , but didn’t yet find a conversation about gametes, large - ova (egg) and small - sperm. The gametes define sex and are universal across the animal kingdom. Also, it seems to me, talking about gametes is most understandable and vivid explanation for teens and anyone who is either confused or became confused by the insane pseudoscience that the ideology tries to promulgate.
Colin Wright has an excellent article(s) on gametes, there are excellent YouTube segments by other evolutionary biologists as well, but it’s not likely the teens will read the articles or watch those YouTube segments. They would prefer books. This is why I am looking for good books. I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and I am probably not alone. The science biology books, grade appropriate, should be accessible in schools, if we don’t wish the pseudoscience stay with us much longer.
Thanks for this. I think this is an area where there is an unavoidable conflict between fairness and inclusion, and ultimately it’s a societal decision where to draw the line.
If an able-bodied athlete who "identifed as" disbaled wanted to compete in the Paralympics, would there be any debate about fairness vs inclusion?
Ben, respectfully, there should not be any question about a "societal decision" here. The implication by your comment is that society could decide that women have no sex-based rights. Tragically, this has happened as society has decided in many instances that it is ok for males to be in women's sports, prisons, rape crisis centers, etc. But this is all completely unacceptable. "Society" is finally realizing that permitting men in women's spaces is wrong, dangerous to women, disrespectful to women....and I could go on and on....
Males can be included in every sport, because they already have their own sex category.
Right. And feeling like a woman, does not make a biological man being a woman.
I think Ben makes a solid point.
People like Emma Vigeland come right out and say, "I don't care about fairness; I think trans women should qualify as women in sports. That is a clear, coherent point of view, with which I disagree.
Then there are those like Chase Strangio who act as if we do not know that men possess an athletic advantage, and that's either dishonest or disconnection from the real world. In either case, that point of view is neither clear nor coherent.
Good analysis and nice to see a glass filling up in these dark times.
But we've got to start using the term 'trans identifying males' instead of trans-women because using a false term as axiomatic concedes important ground instantly and softens the bones of our arguments.
Imo, because the argument from 'fairness' can be neutralized by handicapping, (which hasn't been suggested... yet), it renders it insufficient.
And it's also unnecessary because I DON'T CARE if a man is missing both thumbs and his left foot; he can't compete against women because he is NOT A WOMAN!
"Hecox" is about as unfortunate a name for a trans woman as can be imagined.
Oh this sounds interesting