myrmepropagandist3d ago

The vast majority of people who will be impacted by trans bans in sports will be little girls with short hair or arms that are "too muscular."

It will also mean that when a woman is good at her sport the disgusting grumbling and whispering about "may she is he" gets taken more seriously.

This happened with Paula Radcliffe for running marathons too fast. If it helps you to think of a white cis woman being the victim of this.

Of course little black girls will take the brunt of this. As ever.

Show threadCarolyn3d ago
@futurebird Or that whiny opponent of the Algerian boxer at the Olympics. "She hits too hard for a girl." Pathetic sportsmanship and her photo is still being used when folk complain about trans women in sports, though she is not trans. She just doesn't look like a #$%# stepford wife. Not all women look societally-approved feminine.
Show threadmyrmepropagandist3d ago

@CStamp

I don't understand how a woman in a sport like boxing can't understand that this kind of thinking always ends with "women are too fragile and must not do sports like boxing since it could harm their fertility, the only thing that matters obviously"

None of this will pause just to calm your personal level of prejudice.

Show threadmyrmepropagandist3d ago

@CStamp

If a woman can't take a hit from one person it's easy to say she can't take a hit from anyone. The female skull is too thin. The uterus might fall out place from the jarring motion. (This was a real concern raised about women running in marathons)

Show threadmyrmepropagandist3d ago

@CStamp

Do I need to post the photo of the race director physically grabbing Kathrine Switzer to stop her from running (it was embaressing since he and others had said that women simply could not run such a long race, although he would have claimed that she lied when she signed up so needed to be removed)

That was 1967 which isn't so long ago.

Show threadCarolyn3d ago
@futurebird Oh, yikes.
Show threadmyrmepropagandist

@CStamp

I think about this photo often.

"women could get hurt if they ran marathons"

ah now I see what you mean.

Mar 29 at 9:11pmWeb
Show threadCarolyn3d ago

@futurebird For others, more about her here:

https://cheery.world/discover-people/the-story-of-kathrine-switzer-who-men-tried-to-stop-from-running-a-marathon-but-she-didnt-give-up-and-changed-the-course-of-history-591/

Her time was 4 hours and 20 minutes.

She ran the race 50 yrs later, at the age of 70, and completed it with a time of 4:44:31.

Wow.

The Story of Kathrine Switzer, Who men Tried to Stop From Running a Marathon, but She Didn’t Give Up, and Changed the Course of History

Today, it’s hard to imagine that women once couldn’t run a marathon alongside men. But Kathrine Switzer helped change that. Thanks to her, women were officially allowed to participate in the Boston Marathon in 1972. Kathrine’s courage and willingness to run helped in the fight for gender equality at sporting events.

Cheery
Show threadCarolyn3d ago
@futurebird This is a nice followup: "Later in life, Semple reversed his position on women competing in the marathon..."Once the rule was adjusted and women were allowed in the race, Jock was one of their staunchest supporters. He was very progressive." Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer. "Old Jock Semple and I became the best of friends," she told a reporter in 2015. "It took a long time: six years. But we became best of friends."" (wiki)
Show threadCarolyn3d ago
@futurebird "Semple died of cancer of the liver and pancreas in March 1988 in Peabody, Massachusetts.] He and Kathrine Switzer had become friends and she would visit him at the hospital where he was being treated for his cancer."
Show threadmyrmepropagandist3d ago

@CStamp

That's part of what is insidious about this stuff. Some of the people behind these things (not all of them) think they are doing the right thing, or the "safe" thing.

Show threadCarolyn3d ago
@futurebird Reading up on him, he was apparently just an ass and used to assault any racer he thought shouldn't be running. He didn't like those he deemed unserious competitors.
Show threadVirginicus3d ago
@CStamp @futurebird She apparently had Clark Kent on her side, which has gotta help.
Show threadSteven Lipton3d ago
@CStamp @futurebird @Natasha_Jay I remember meeting her during a half marathon I ran.
She was at the last water station before the end of the race, handing out water, which she gave me a cup.
Show threadlucy_stoner3d ago
@futurebird @CStamp I think about that photo a lot too. It was so recent and yet so many women don't understand that's where conservatives want to take us back to; or more accurately, want to do openly and without repercussions. Way too many white women believe that they'll be fine as long as they don't do something to piss off men (like **gasp** running). Thing is, a woman's agency is enough to piss off conservative/libertarian men. Every woman will fail that test.
Show threadjz.tusk2d ago

@futurebird @CStamp

It was the Boston Marathon. I live in Boston, not too far from the marathon path.

Bostonians like to brag about our city, but we need to own our shit.