JayCee Cooper is a trans powerlifter who recently transitioned and broke the Minnesota state record for bench press after only 1 year of training. Understandably many have questioned the fairness of allowing a male who has gone through male puberty to compete with females. 2/21
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However, USA Powerlifting has barred her and other transwomen from competing in the female class, citing the unfair advantages of going through male puberty, especially as it relates to a sport so narrowly focused on strength such as powerlifting. 3/21pic.twitter.com/gnHRhrk9EJ
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USA Powerlifting's decision became national news when
@IlhanMN tweeted the following, asserting banning JayCee was discriminatory and "unscientific" without providing any relevant scientific data to support that assertion. 4/21https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1092821831977975808 …
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This article claims that the debate is based mostly on "bias and assumptions than in science." I find this to be true, though the bias and assumptions in my view rests solely on the side of trans activists. Let me explain. 5/21pic.twitter.com/M4RfhlPeSc
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We know with certainty that males have a competitive advantage over females b/c males go through male puberty that results in bigger, faster, stronger individuals on average. Because of this, male advantage is the default position we must maintain. 6/21https://fondofbeetles.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/harder-better-faster-stronger-why-we-must-protect-female-sports/ …
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Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence to support them. Trans activists make the following extraordinary claim: reducing testosterone levels for 1 year totally eliminates the advantages bestowed upon males by virtue of going through male puberty. 7/21
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But when asked for the extraordinary evidence necessary to support this claim nothing is provided. Meanwhile, we have every reason in the world to suspect an advantage persists, b/c reducing T levels for 1 year does not reverse most traits relevant to athletic performance. 8/21
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Then we commonly hear this claim, that it's wrong to assume males would simply start identifying as females to gain access to female sports. I agree that this would likely be very rare. But my response would be: So what if some people might do that? Why would that matter? 9/21pic.twitter.com/UXaKQkPcx0
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If males that reduce T for 1 year have no advantage over female athletes, why should anyone care if so-called cis-males DO try to game the system by IDing as female and reducing T for a year? After all, it would still be totally fair, right? There's no system to game! 10/21
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Here are the reasons USA Powerlifting gave for not allowing JayCee to compete against females. They seem perfectly reasonable. 11/21pic.twitter.com/bcHfLF8Tzr
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Here's JayCee's response. This "all shapes and sizes" argument is commonly put forth by activists, but it's fatally flawed. There's lots of variation within each sex, sure, but this doesn't negate the reality that sex greatly influences the outcomes in a predictable way. 12/21pic.twitter.com/TriPGjCvnW
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Yes, female WNBA players are on avg 6-feet tall which is much taller than the avg female. But what about the fact that the average NBA player is 6'8''? What might be the reason for this? A: Height matters in basketball & the effects of male puberty on height are profound. 13/21
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If "women's bodies come in all shapes and sizes" why is it that none have ever come in a shape or size that's been able to compete in the NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB? Keep in mind that these leagues do *not* bar female athletes. Their inability to compete is not a coincidence. 14/21
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Now we see the argument of limited research. But if research is in its infancy, perhaps we should hold off until the sufficient research has been performed before allowing males to compete in female sporting leagues and events. Why is this not reasonable? Why the rush? 15/21pic.twitter.com/18s0Z9Skb9
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This is simply not true. Biological sex can be determined through genetic testing. This alone can determine sex with over 99.98% accuracy, and a combination of genetics and observed sexual development can make this determination even more precise. Sex is not a mystery. 16/21pic.twitter.com/USYdKG7fvM
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The 2015 "study" referenced here was by no means a study. It was a survey of only 5 runners, and recorded self-reported run times before and after transition. The duration between before and after run times ranged between 3 and 18 years! This is not evidence for anything. 17/21pic.twitter.com/qmQTjDSIp7
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And here we see another puzzling argument, that the defining characteristic that should determine who one should compete against is simply one's "sincerely held gender identity" and not one's objective biological sex. But why should this subjective trait matter at all? 18/21pic.twitter.com/8wNq3XoSWC
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What would be the argument against allowing someone who identified as a male to compete against females, so long as they reduced testosterone for a year? After all, according to trans activists these individuals would have no competitive advantage! 19/21
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So issues of fairness can't be the reasons for excluding them. Why is it considered OK to use subjective identity to determine who one competes against, but seen as bigotry to determine one's competition based on something objective and influential like biological sex? 20/21
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In closing, I must clarify that I have absolutely no problem with trans athletes competing in sports. What I do have an issue with is males competing against females in leagues and events specifically set aside for female athletes. This has nothing to do with being trans. 21/21
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End of conversation
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