I Was Just Thinking…

by Kevin Devlin

“Pretty much any way you slice it, trans women are going to have strength advantages even after hormone therapy. I just don’t see that as anything else but factual.” (Joanna Harper, a medical physicist/Britain’s Loughborough University.)

Men and those who have transitioned-transgendered women-are stronger than women, that’s an undeniable physiological fact. So, they have an unfair advantage over women when they compete against them.

Take UPenn transgender athlete Lia Thomas as a prime example. Upon winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle event in March of 2022, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport. By the conclusion of Thomas’ swimming career at UPenn in 2022, Thomas’ rank had moved from 65th on the men’s team to 1st on the women’s team in the 500-yard freestyle, and 554th on the men’s team to 5th on the women’s team in the 200-yard freestyle. So, from being a so-so swimmer in the men’s division, Thomas transitioned to a trans woman by using hormone replacement therapy, and became a national champion in the woman’s division.

Was this fair to the women athletes she competed against?

Is it fair to include transgendered athletes who enjoy an unfair advantage?

Can transgendered women compete in female categories without their biological sex giving them an unfair advantage?

If transgendered athletes were excluded from competing would that be unfair treatment?

Should transgender women be banned from competing in female categories?

Should a separate category be established?

The struggle for equality for women has been epic. From second class citizenship and being considered as mere property throughout the ages they have fought long and hard for recognition, fairness, and equal treatment.

In 1966 Betty Friedan (author of The Feminine Mystique published in 1963) helped establish the National Organization for Women (NOW) promoting “grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals…and protect the equal rights of all women and girls.”

In June of 1972 then President Nixon signed the Education Amendments Act. The law’s Title IX recognized gender equity as a civil right, giving thousands of women and girls access and equal opportunity to competitive sports.

But that was then.

Riley Gaines, the former Kentucky swimming star who tied Thomas for fifth place in the 200-freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships, is dismayed that the Biden administration is now going to back the bill to amend Title IX to bar states from banning transgender athletes from competing against the same gender they identify as. And as this debate rages on whether transgender females should be permitted to compete against biological women, Gaines has been active in the battle to keep women’s sports equal.

New York Post columnist Piers Morgan is on the same page as Gaines.

“Nobody’s questioning trans rights to fairness and equality, what I would question is where trans rights to fairness and equality begin to erode or even destroy, as we’re seeing in women’s sport, the rights of women and to fairness and equality,” he said on Bill Maher’s HBO show.

Call me old-fashioned but what’s right is right and that which is occurring today in this country regarding women sports sure isn’t right.

Women should be competing against other women, not against those who just say they are women because they identify as such, and transgender athletes should compete against other transgender athletes or against athletes of the same biological sex.

But more importantly moving forward, we need understanding and tolerance on both sides, not threats from angry protestors Gaines experienced while speaking on this issue at San Francisco State University on April 6, so everyone will feel included and be given a fair and equal opportunity to realize what they have worked so hard to achieve.

WU continued from page 5 being, and I encourage our families and young people, especially young women, to join leadership programs to learn about community service, teamwork, accountability, and financial literacy.”

BCYF’s Snap Shot Teen Photography program is a unique summer job program for ages 16 to 18 that introduces participants to all aspects of photography. Teens receive a paycheck while participating in the program. Led by a professional photographer, the program includes opportunities to conduct photo shoots, visit museums and art galleries, learn digital photo editing, engage in online personal development workshops, and serve as a staff photographer for BCYF. Interested youth should apply to Snap Shot through the SuccessLink Summer Jobs Program at Boston. gov/Youth-Jobs. Select “BCYF Snap Shot” from the summer job spread- sheet on the website. The program will operate from Monday, June 26 to Friday, August 25, 2023.

BCYF SuperTeens program teaches teens ages 13 and 14 life readiness and resiliency to help prepare them for their upcoming academic year and future employment. The program focuses on opportunities to enhance communication, collaboration, teamwork, and problem solving. The SuperTeens are mentored by BCYF staff throughout the summer, and they participate in both online workshops and in-person job shadowing activities that highlight employment skills. The SuperTeens also participate in weekly social and recreational activities, including a Learn to Row crew program on the Charles River, leadership workshops, job shadowing, community service projects as well as field trips to museums and institutions around the City of Boston. Participants earn a paycheck in the form of a stipend, and they will also be provided with opportunities that encourage civic engagement and physical health and wellness. Registration began today at Boston.gov/BCYF-SuperTeens. The program will operate for 6 weeks from Monday, July 10 to Friday, August 18, 2023.

BCYF Girls Leadership Corps provides girls ages 11-14 with workshops and activities. Workshop topics will include self-defense with Girls LEAP, leadership skills, empowerment with the YW F.R.Y.E. Initiative, and more. The Girls Leadership Corps program participants will plan activities that Boston girls will be invited to register for, including Summer Girls Nights and various workshops and special activities. Interested program participants should email Erika.Butler@boston. gov<mailto:Erika.Butler@boston.gov>.

The program will operate from Tuesday, July 18 to Friday, August 18, 2023. These teen programs are in ad- dition to many activities offered at BCYF community centers across the city. Registration for center programs can be found at Boston.gov/BCYFRegistration. In addition, BCYF is currently seeking full-time, part-time, and seasonal lifeguards for BCYF pools and swim lessons. Sign on and retention bonuses up to $1,000 are available, depending on date of hire and remaining employed though September 4th. Training is available and equipment is provided. Visit Boston. gov/BCYF-Aquatics for more information or apply directly at Boston. gov/Lifeguard-Jobs.

Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) is the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency. BCYF operates 35 community centers in Boston that offer a variety of engaging and enriching programs for people of all ages created through community input and need. BCYF also oversees many citywide programs.