What a headline to read as a trans person...
We've never been more excluded or villified in sports than right here at this moment
this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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I think there is a difference between how sports fans feel about LGBT+ people, and how the people in charge of the league organisations feel. Stonewall's research appears to have been looking at the former, while the latter are the ones who make the rules. That said, if the research is correct and sports fans are genuinely supportive of trans athletes, then they should be pressuring the league organisations to stop discriminating against them.
If excluding trans folk wasn't broadly tolerated by sports fans, it wouldn't be so widespread.
I think the more likely scenario is that the work focused on LGBTQ folks as a whole and simply didn't look at the very divergent experiences of trans folk in sports. Not mentioning that limitation is a strange oversight from pink news
The article does specifically state "60 per cent would be happy to play alongside a trans teammate", so the research definitely did look into acceptance of trans people separately from LGB people. While 60% is lower than the mid-70s percentage that accept LGB people, it is still a majority.
The truth is that sports fans, like the majority of people, are accepting of trans people, but don't care about the issue strongly enough to start pushing against discrimination. The issue isn't a lack of support, it's a lack of allies actually being vocal about it.
Whatever the reason, trans people are the most excluded from sports that they've ever been. This headline completely erases that
I think what the editor wanted to communicate with the title was that
- trans people, although discriminated in sports, are increasingly welcomed by fans
- this can pressure the sports organizations to change their stance
Trans people being discriminated is common sense for almost all readers of that website, so I don't think it's misleading.
If that was their goal, they did it without actually mentioning just how bad it is for trans people at the moment. The article didn't say "Sports are moving against trans folks, but fans don't want that". What it said is that sports are more welcoming than ever, at the time when trans folk are more excluded than ever.
Okay I agree with that regarding the content.
The only part they emphasized the ongoing problem is the last paragraph, and their wording is still vague.
“At all levels, from grassroots sports and the gym up to elite levels, there are are still many barriers that result in LGBTQ+ people shying away from participating, and if we want to truly make sport everyone’s game, we need to turn the Rainbow Lace from a symbol of inclusion into a mindset.”
their wording is still vague.
Yep. The experiences that cis LGBQ folk have in sports is nothing at all like the experience that gender diverse folk experience sports, and the implied equivalence even there is glossing over the reality that many of us are dealing with.
I see your point, and ultimately I don't care if trans people compete, they should be allowed, I think they have already figured out a reasonable timeline where it becomes fair again. I think this is recognizing that the sports of our parent's generation is moving onto the younger. For example, I hated spectator sports as a kid, but now I love Football, and enjoy watching MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS all in person. If you asked younger me if I would be interested in sports, I would have laughed. Now I am probably closest to a socialist or leftist, and I def support anyone playing sports, but I bet my dad and mom would be weirded out. Seems to be the shift as Millennials and Gen Z get more into sports. But obviously this is just my opinion, not fact.
ultimately I don’t care if trans people compete
You can see how this is indicative of what I'm talking about right?
I'm excluded from many sports, and even my LGBTQ peers often show indifference to that.
Yet somehow, the headline is that I'm more welcome than ever...
I think they have already figured out a reasonable timeline where it becomes fair again
It was already fair. They took that away.
I thought "they should be allowed" explained my position fully. I think while I understand explicitly the trans question is hotly debated, I fully support any trans person playing. 'The article didn’t say “Sports are moving against trans folks, but fans don’t want that”', I am saying I do want that I think it would be awesome if some transperson made it into the NFL, or a woman. Like I am not against that happening at all. In fact, I would support those trying/succeeding. I think the reality is that the even the most well-meaning people don't have constant interactions with transpeople who are into pro or collegiate/high school sports, so it becomes hard to hardcore advocate for people who you don't have regular interactions with. It is the same reason why it never made sense for conservatives to be so damn concerned about it. I obviously can't speak for your experience, but taking the modern neo-fascist conservative opinion as the opinion of all, seems a bit disingenuous; they simply bitch at everything and louder than most.
but taking the modern neo-fascist conservative opinion as the opinion of all, seems a bit disingenuous; they simply bitch at everything and louder than most.
This isn't about fascists opinions. It's about the fact that they are explicitly and openly banning us from involvement in an ever growing list of sports.
Cricket, football, chess, swimming, athletics, cycling, disc golf, weight lifting... The list goes on...
This isn't opinions, it's not about who speaks loudest, it's about the explicit exclusion of trans folk from sports.
And you can't talk about an apparent golden age of acceptance when the list of explicit exclusions is greater than it has ever been, especially when they don't even mention those exclusions in the article!
Roller derby has been like this already.
Yep, derby is one of the few that have been staunchly trans inclusive, even before the wave of transphobia in recent years
Presumably provided that they're with the correct team. I'm sure lgbtq fans and members of the opposing team is hated just as much as the cis/straight equivalent, which I guess is equality.