On February 12, three female high school students in Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit against the participation of transgender athletes (with male anatomy) in female track and field events.
The three students, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, have a fairly simple and straightforward argument: They claim allowing biologically male students to compete against biologically female students is unfair and runs afoul (no pun intended) of their basic civil rights. They also argue, quite convincingly, that allowing biologically male students to compete against them has undermined their ability to win races as well as opportunities for scholarships.
Alanna Smith, who is a sophomore at Danbury High School, described her frustration running against males who identify as women, “Mentally and physically, we know the outcome before the race even starts.”
Smith, a bright young woman with a whole lot of common sense, continued, “That biological unfairness doesn’t go away because of what someone believes about gender identity. All girls deserve the chance to compete on a level playing field.” Bravo, Ms. Smith, I could not agree more.
At this point, you may be wondering how we got here in the first place. Well, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC)—the entity in charge of overseeing high school athletics in the Constitution State (and one of the defendants in the lawsuit)—claims it is simply following a state anti-discrimination law.
According to the CIAC’s Reference Guide for Transgender Policy, “The CIAC is committed to providing transgender student-athletes with equal opportunities to participate in CIAC athletic programs consistent with their gender identity.”
Although CIAC’s stance may be lauded by those seeking to “protect” the rights of transgender students, what about protecting the rights of females who stand no chance against male athletes?
Christiana Holcomb, one of the lawyers working on behalf of the three female students, argues that “forcing girls to be spectators in their own sports is completely at odds with Title IX, a federal law designed to create equal opportunities for women in education and athletics.”
Furthermore, Holcomb claims that “Connecticut’s policy violates that law and reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women.” Yes, there is a war on women, however, it is not being waged by old white men with traditional views, at least not in this situation.
Rather, in this case (and many more instances for that matter) the war on women is being advanced by super woke progressives who have completely lost all touch with reality.
A primer, if I may: At the high school level, it is ludicrous to place males and females in direct physical competition. Although many will claim otherwise, there is a difference between men and women, at least on a physical basis. Yes, this is a generalization and there certainly are examples of female athletes who are far superior to their male counterparts, however, that is much more the exception than the norm.
In other words, there is a reason that across the world, most athletic competitions separate males and females. From the Olympics to the WNBA and NBA, almost everyone recognizes that males and females should not always compete mano a mano.
Despite the attempts of CIAC and countless other organizations to kowtow to the whims and desires of a few outspoken transgender athletes, what about the whims and desires of the millions of young female athletes who just want a fair shot?
According to CIAC’s Mission Statement, “the CIAC believes that interscholastic athletic programs and competition are an integral part of a student’s academic, social, emotional and physical development. The CIAC promotes the academic mission of schools and honorable competition.”
The key-word here is honorable. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the term honorable is defined as, “honest and fair, or deserving praise and respect.”
If CIAC really wants to “honor” its own Mission Statement, it ought to ensure that all athletic competitions conducted under its jurisdiction abide by the principles of honesty and fairness. Put another way, let boys compete against boys and girls against girls.