Right there with you on this one ☝
LPGA To Allow Transgender Membership
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I couldn't care less what gender somebody wants to pretend to be - live your life, it's not my problem. My issue with the sports thing is that it's not fair to women and never will be, and I'm surprised that a lot more of them aren't speaking up about it.
There have already been issues in track and field events and powerlifting, where trans women have entered and smoked the field. I don't remember what state it was in and I'm not going to go dig up the article, but a couple of girls have filed lawsuits about it because they were formerly top athletes in their event (100m dash, IIRC), and now two transgenders are dominating all the events. It has the potential to take college scholarships from those girls, they have every right to be incensed about it. A trans powerlifter in New Zealand is breaking all kinds of women's records and will potentially make the Olympic team, taking a spot away from an actual woman. I don't see how anybody can call that okay.
I don't think it's right that a dude who's mediocre at his sport can put on a dress and go try to be a superstar against women. As somebody said before, if LeBron James did it, it would truly demonstrate how ridiculous this is. Give him all the testosterone blockers and hormones you want, you think he wouldn't still totally dominate in the WNBA?
There have already been issues in track and field events and powerlifting, where trans women have entered and smoked the field. I don't remember what state it was in and I'm not going to go dig up the article, but a couple of girls have filed lawsuits about it because they were formerly top athletes in their event (100m dash, IIRC), and now two transgenders are dominating all the events. It has the potential to take college scholarships from those girls, they have every right to be incensed about it. A trans powerlifter in New Zealand is breaking all kinds of women's records and will potentially make the Olympic team, taking a spot away from an actual woman. I don't see how anybody can call that okay.
I don't think it's right that a dude who's mediocre at his sport can put on a dress and go try to be a superstar against women. As somebody said before, if LeBron James did it, it would truly demonstrate how ridiculous this is. Give him all the testosterone blockers and hormones you want, you think he wouldn't still totally dominate in the WNBA?
It's a monumentally stupid decision. But we live in monumentally stupid times... so there's that.
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I really like your last couple sentences. People need to put some blinders on and watch their own bobber!
Could one argue that a trans woman, who has taken testosterone suppressant, estrogen booster or whatever other hormones, AND have had gender reassignment surgery (which is much different than just a man putting on a dress as someone mentioned above), different than a biologically female athlete who has taken testosterone supplements?
There's so many variables. Why do people assume one day a man just decides he's a female, tosses on a dress, and competes. Transitioning is a long and intense process, and there's a lot of physical and mental stressors with it.
That said, I think that it also depends when someone undergoes these things. Before or amid puberty is one thing vs a 25 y/o fully developed male transitioning to female.
Maybe the LPGA can take an anonymous vote from its members and if say 75% or more are for it then it's decided amongst the league?
There's so many variables. Why do people assume one day a man just decides he's a female, tosses on a dress, and competes. Transitioning is a long and intense process, and there's a lot of physical and mental stressors with it.
That said, I think that it also depends when someone undergoes these things. Before or amid puberty is one thing vs a 25 y/o fully developed male transitioning to female.
Maybe the LPGA can take an anonymous vote from its members and if say 75% or more are for it then it's decided amongst the league?
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this world is becoming far too complicated for it’s own good so, let’s just allow the legal system sort this one out and let us know what to think once the dust settles…. After all, it’s the American Way.
I was being flippant about the "throwing on a dress" thing - I understand that transitioning is a lot more complex and difficult than that. I'm just of the opinion that it's not fair in women's sports, regardless. Women are free to compete in men's sports - how many have had any even slight measure of success on the PGA Tour (or even the Korn Ferry or Champions Tour), or in the NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA? How about in men's sports in the NCAA? How many have entered men's divisions in the Olympics and medaled?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not in any way saying that women are inferior beings. There are a lot of amazing female athletes in a lot of sports - but there is a reason that there have always been separate leagues/divisions for men and women in sports. A valid biological/physiological reason. And it's not right to have trans athletes come into women's sports, shatter all kinds of records and erase the great achievements women have made. Even Caitlyn Jenner, who was formerly a superstar athlete as a male, has spoken out against it - and if anybody should know a thing or two about the subject, that would be a person to listen to.
But the bottom line is, if the actual women are okay with it, let 'em do it. I don't really have a dog in the fight, so it's no skin off my nose other than just being at odds with my basic sense of right and wrong.
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U_of_Bucky
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Well, this news adds to the Goff channel and others the complexity of setting boundaries for the live and news commentators.
I have no problem with a change. We all were created,(or evolved) with gender biases not necessarily binary. Cie la vie!
I have no problem with a change. We all were created,(or evolved) with gender biases not necessarily binary. Cie la vie!
I love when I click on a thread and read a few posts before I realize I clicked on the wrong thread. A lot of interesting posts when I thought I was in the Arizona versus Texas call out thread. 
Regarding the actual thread: If the LPGA members don’t mind, I don’t care. I think that a transgender athlete might have a physical advantage, but I am in no way an authority on the matter and really don’t have a strong opinion.
Maybe they just need to have a A league that is played at current PGA length and a B league that plays shorter. Then If you are good enough to play on either tour, it wouldn’t matter if you were male or female or trans? Of course it might take some spots from women if they did that, but maybe not if they kept the B league to 6800 yards. I think if Anika would have given it more of a shot back way back when, she could have done pretty well on the PGA tour before they started the Tiger-proofing courses by adding length.
Regarding the actual thread: If the LPGA members don’t mind, I don’t care. I think that a transgender athlete might have a physical advantage, but I am in no way an authority on the matter and really don’t have a strong opinion.
Maybe they just need to have a A league that is played at current PGA length and a B league that plays shorter. Then If you are good enough to play on either tour, it wouldn’t matter if you were male or female or trans? Of course it might take some spots from women if they did that, but maybe not if they kept the B league to 6800 yards. I think if Anika would have given it more of a shot back way back when, she could have done pretty well on the PGA tour before they started the Tiger-proofing courses by adding length.
If the LPGA and members are happy to allow it, then I think it has to be accepted - the world has changed a lot, but as long as there is no perceived unfair advantage then I guess it could be something that we could see in other sports where the physical makeup of a competitor isn't as much of an issue
We already have some sports where male and female compete on the same stage, but this situation is something that needs monitoring by the governing bodies to gather evidence that there is no unfair advantage if it becomes more
I hope these posts are both tongue-in-cheek, otherwise I could take offense considering my family is Dutch on my mothers side
We already have some sports where male and female compete on the same stage, but this situation is something that needs monitoring by the governing bodies to gather evidence that there is no unfair advantage if it becomes more
I hope these posts are both tongue-in-cheek, otherwise I could take offense considering my family is Dutch on my mothers side
I was raised by a Feminist for the first 50 years of my life and I love and respect women and their differences from men. Yes they are equal but different. Now in 2021 not so much!! We are being told we are all the same!!
There was a Male Trans to Woman fighting in MMA (Fallon Fox) and not telling the women she used to be a man and she was destroying them until she ran up against a top fighter.
"When transgender fighter Fallon Fox broke her opponent's skull in MMA fight"
For everyone who says there is NO BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE you are Denying Science. Plain and simple.
I don't care what anyone does with their own Person but when you try to FORCE your way of thinking on everyone else that is where I have a problem.
You want to Transition That is fine Be whoever you want to be, But you want to play COMPETITIVE sports I have a problem with that.
If they want to create a OPEN Class of Sports I would be fine with that and I think that is where we are eventually going to end up.
There was a Male Trans to Woman fighting in MMA (Fallon Fox) and not telling the women she used to be a man and she was destroying them until she ran up against a top fighter.
"When transgender fighter Fallon Fox broke her opponent's skull in MMA fight"
For everyone who says there is NO BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE you are Denying Science. Plain and simple.
I don't care what anyone does with their own Person but when you try to FORCE your way of thinking on everyone else that is where I have a problem.
You want to Transition That is fine Be whoever you want to be, But you want to play COMPETITIVE sports I have a problem with that.
If they want to create a OPEN Class of Sports I would be fine with that and I think that is where we are eventually going to end up.
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yes. It is just a funny line from an Austin Powers movie. Part of my family comes from a small area near the Netherlands/Germany border dating back a few hundred years so i’m a small part Dutch too.
I don’t disagree with you. But I also think there is a huge difference between physical contact fighting sports and golf and each should be treated based on their unique circumstances.
We all know in golf hitting ball farther doesn’t necessarily mean you can put it in the hole any better but in MMA/boxing strength has a much bigger impact on outcome of the sport.
If strength and distance was the end all, be all of golf, people like Jamie Sadlowski would win on the PGA tour every week but there many more skills required on a golf course where strength and body composition is not relevant.
NEhomer
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A thoughtful post, still, I'd contend that this is a selfish issue. Trans life will always bring challenges but the big ones are employment, housing and marriage. This single issue is making those others more difficult because there's a logical argument against it while there is no such thing for the others. If one small requirement of being male to female trans is that you can't compete in female sports categories, then that's just life.
I'm a high school teacher and I had Emily in school two years ago. She was a track star since middle school and in her senior year, a trans girl handily won the 100 and 200 meters. This person's times could not compete with the boys. She was heartbroken and angry and so was her dad who had driven her to events all around the State of CT for years.
So yeah, I'm sensitive to the issues trans folks face and in fact, I'm meeting today with another teacher about our lgbtq student group but for the good of the lgbtq community, athletes should stop pushing this one divisive issue. Perhaps they should make trans categories.
how would a biological male not have some inherent physical advantages? That’s the problem
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While conceding that playing golf has many variables which have nothing to do with strength, one can’t ignore that distance is a significant advantage. Distance is tied into, at least partially, to strength. Look at Dechambeau’s length and how it has helped his game. This competitor has already won a Woman’s Long Drive Championship and I’m having a hard time believing that there is no correlation to her having been a man regardless of how much immunosuppressant therapy she may have undergone.. I don’t think allowing her to compete with biological women is fair but if the LPGA constituency decides to allow it, who am I to argue with them. The only problem is, once that Pandora’s Box is opened the LPGA will never be able to close it again.
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There is a simple test whether someone is Arthur or Martha , involving a set of testicles, but there are physical advantages from testosterone which will improve power and therefore length. As the South African 800 meter runner has proved, it does not make for a level playing field.
Let me play from the Ladies Tees and I would instantly become BETTER!!! Could I dominate the lady's Probably not but I would instantly take 6+ strokes off my score.
I agree Golf is more than just pure strength but Can we agree that a Males Physical strength would give them advantage?? I would love to see a real Mixed Tournament with LPGA and PGA players playing from the appropriate boxes.
I was hoping to find a gif from Blazing Saddles when Bart says, "Well, to tell the family secret, my grandmother was Dutch", but I couldn't.
Then why aren't there women contending on the PGA Tour?
According to PGA Tour Stats, 6 women have played in 19 PGA Tour events between 1935 and 2018. 16 of the 19 were sponsor exemptions. 16 of 19 missed the cut or withdrew. Babe Didrikson Zaharias placed 33rd at the 1945 Phoenix Open and 42nd at the 1945 Tucson Open. Shirley Spork placed 105 at the 1952 Northern California-Reno Open. In that 86 years since Zaharias broke the barrier and became the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event, no woman has ever placed in the top 25, and Zaharias and Spork are the only two who have even made a cut.
you will never know how they truly feel because anyone that comes out against it gets canceled. people are scared to voice their opinionsI love when I click on a thread and read a few posts before I realize I clicked on the wrong thread. A lot of interesting posts when I thought I was in the Arizona versus Texas call out thread.
Regarding the actual thread: If the LPGA members don’t mind, I don’t care. I think that a transgender athlete might have a physical advantage, but I am in no way an authority on the matter and really don’t have a strong opinion.
Maybe they just need to have a A league that is played at current PGA length and a B league that plays shorter. Then If you are good enough to play on either tour, it wouldn’t matter if you were male or female or trans? Of course it might take some spots from women if they did that, but maybe not if they kept the B league to 6800 yards. I think if Anika would have given it more of a shot back way back when, she could have done pretty well on the PGA tour before they started the Tiger-proofing courses by adding length.
They dare not. Have you seen what happens to people who speak out in opposition to the social justice campaign de jour? Athletes, entertainment personages, corporate people, business owners, you name it. Their careers, their businesses, whatever, are often destroyed.
I believe the proper terminology on the scorecard is the Red tees.
I regards to strength, there are various body types. I see small structured guys who were probably made fun of by guys named Biff in high school and I see strong muscularly built woman like long drive participant Troy Mullins. For many, there could be an advantage but it would not be the same for everybody. There are discrepancies in driving distance on all tours among people who were biologically born the same gender.
Is there just cause to treat somoene differently who went through a full transition process and ends up possibly outdriving everyone by 20 yard average versus someone who was born a woman but happened to have good genetics and can drive the ball the same distance?
I think we get caught up that someone would maliciously try to transition for the sole purpose to dominate a women's professional sport and I just don't see that as the case, just a rare possible exception and not the rule. IMO, golf inherently is designed to be inclusive. It is why we have different tee boxes. There is room for everyone to play this sport. There is a much bigger case for athletic differences in many other sports but specific to golf I think those differences are minimal.
Sadly, you are 100% correct. It’s a hot button issue and the opposition to anybody who dares speak out against it is swift and vicious. They risk losing corporate sponsors as well as having their character destroyed on social media. I suspect that everybody in the LPGA will go along to get along, regardless of what they truly think about the issue.
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