I appreciate your comprehensive analysis of the controversy regarding trans women playing on cis women's teams. Cis women should be really insulted by the ruling on chess competitions suggesting that women aren't as smart as men. How much more do all women have to do to prove we are as smart as men (or even smarter)? Not acknowledged anywhere in the anti-trans movement is the extreme courage inherent in all transgender people. My wife knew she was really female as early as five years old, but everyone called her a boy, so she leaned to imitate boys' behavior so she could fit in. Interestingly, I have observed that she also internalized the American cultural requirements and restrictions of being female. In the 20 years of our marriage during which she presented as male, the only time she was ever shirtless was in a bathing suit, no matter how hot it was outside. She shared a memory that her father yelled at her for sitting down all the time on the toilet. I tease her about one characteristic. For the years of our marriage that she presented as male, she danced like a woman, which looks far better now that she is a woman. I shrugged it off during those years because so many cis men are not good dancers. She finally felt safe enough to transition at the age of 60, and has been living full time as a women since then. We had been married for 20 years at that time. It was especially courageous for her to tell me of her need to present as female, because her first marriage of 20 years had dissolved shortly after she was caught wearing women's attire. A funny aside comment. Her trans son transitioned two years before my wife. We tease him that he groomed my wife to become a transgender woman. In reality our son gave her the courage and support to transition. She has been so much happier.
An interesting addition to your list of advantages some athletes have, such as having wealthy parents is Malcolm Gladwell's perspective on the greater success in sports of children who are born earlier in any given year. That allows them to sign up for a sport sooner than their classmates born later in the year, depending on the range of cutoff dates for schools in different places. Parents will even make different decisions, dependent on their birth date, about when their child should begin school. My son has a September birthday and he was younger than many of his classmates in any given year, so he was not always physically ready for many sports. Fortunately, he is very smart so it didn't impact him negatively with his classwork, however, when he was 15 he waited impatiently for his driver's license. Most of his friends had a great time driving all summer.
I appreciate your comprehensive analysis of the controversy regarding trans women playing on cis women's teams. Cis women should be really insulted by the ruling on chess competitions suggesting that women aren't as smart as men. How much more do all women have to do to prove we are as smart as men (or even smarter)? Not acknowledged anywhere in the anti-trans movement is the extreme courage inherent in all transgender people. My wife knew she was really female as early as five years old, but everyone called her a boy, so she leaned to imitate boys' behavior so she could fit in. Interestingly, I have observed that she also internalized the American cultural requirements and restrictions of being female. In the 20 years of our marriage during which she presented as male, the only time she was ever shirtless was in a bathing suit, no matter how hot it was outside. She shared a memory that her father yelled at her for sitting down all the time on the toilet. I tease her about one characteristic. For the years of our marriage that she presented as male, she danced like a woman, which looks far better now that she is a woman. I shrugged it off during those years because so many cis men are not good dancers. She finally felt safe enough to transition at the age of 60, and has been living full time as a women since then. We had been married for 20 years at that time. It was especially courageous for her to tell me of her need to present as female, because her first marriage of 20 years had dissolved shortly after she was caught wearing women's attire. A funny aside comment. Her trans son transitioned two years before my wife. We tease him that he groomed my wife to become a transgender woman. In reality our son gave her the courage and support to transition. She has been so much happier.
An interesting addition to your list of advantages some athletes have, such as having wealthy parents is Malcolm Gladwell's perspective on the greater success in sports of children who are born earlier in any given year. That allows them to sign up for a sport sooner than their classmates born later in the year, depending on the range of cutoff dates for schools in different places. Parents will even make different decisions, dependent on their birth date, about when their child should begin school. My son has a September birthday and he was younger than many of his classmates in any given year, so he was not always physically ready for many sports. Fortunately, he is very smart so it didn't impact him negatively with his classwork, however, when he was 15 he waited impatiently for his driver's license. Most of his friends had a great time driving all summer.