Dr. Michael L. Brown – Guest Columnist
I did not intend to write about this story, but when I saw a picture of the teenager in question, I had to. He is 15 years old, clearly a biological male. As Joy Pullman notes on The Federalist, he has “not taken drugs nor undergone surgery to mimic femininity.” Yet he was allowed to compete against other girls in a recent sporting event, and to no one’s surprise, he won – quite handily, at that. Is this what is meant by “equality”?
In recent weeks, we’ve read about a female high-school wrestler who identifies as male and who has been taking testosterone to prepare to “transition” to male. Unsurprisingly, she defeated the other girls, all of whom are not taking testosterone. We have read about a male weightlifter who now identifies as female. Unsurprisingly, he defeated the women he competed against, setting a new record along the way. Also a biological male is being given the green light to compete on the women’s team in a USA Volleyball-sanctioned event and plans on trying out for the women’s volleyball team in 2020 Olympics. Other examples could be supplied as well, since this is becoming more and more common.
How is this fair? How can progressives and liberals and leftists and LGBT activists and their allies think this is right? And do the feminists of the world really want to engage in head-to-head athletic competition with their male peers?
If this was done in the world of professional sports, there would not be a single woman winning, let alone playing at the elite, highest levels. Not one female basketball player would earn a berth in the NBA. Not one female athlete would make it to the Olympics – in swimming or rowing or weightlifting or skiing or running or jumping or hurdling or boxing. Not one. Men would dominate in every event, and women would be relegated to cheerleading.
That’s why we have men’s sports and women’s sports, men’s world records and women’s world records. And that why we celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes as females rather than comparing them to males.
There is nothing sexist about this. There is nothing hateful about this. There is nothing condescending about this. This is a matter of fairness, equality, and common sense. At least it should be. Today, common sense is in danger of extinction, and concepts like fairness and equality are turned upside down.
The 15-year-old in question goes by the name of Andraya Yearwood, and as the Hartford Courant reported, Andraya’s first event with female peers was a cause for celebration: “With family, friends and teammates cheering her on at her first high school track meet, Andraya won the girls 100- and 200-meter dashes, and helped her 4×100-meter relay team take second place.” Andraya left the other girls behind, girls who trained so hard for these events, only to be beaten by a boy. And I mean beaten decisively.
Andraya’s personal struggles cannot be imposed on everyone else, meaning, as a biological male, he has no business competing with other girls, or, for that matter, sharing their locker rooms and shower stalls. That is not the meaning of equality. Even according to activist ideology, gender is a social construct but sex is biological. And when it comes to male and female athletic competition, we divide based on biological sex.
In the end, this is just one more example of why I believe LGBT activism will ultimately defeat itself. And so, I appeal to progressivists, leftists, feminists, and LGBT allies and their allies, along with all those who cherish fairness, equality, and justice. Look carefully at the trajectory of your activism, and ask yourself: Is this really the kind of world that you want?