Letter: Defining ‘discomfort’

M. Scott McGovern wrote (“Discomfort is not risk”) that people competing by gender with which they identified until qualifying for national competitions is fine. I disagree. My daughter won Alpine and snowboard races saying she only won by seconds. How will girls who win by seconds do in competitions with those born as male?

Are we willing to take away the opportunities for girls to fairly compete against other females? Transgender males are males until medical changes are completed. Why would we want to place an unfair advantage against our female athletes? We want to foster all our athletes.

Males tend to be stronger than females, yet he states it is all right until qualifying at a higher level of competition. Many stronger males are already winning while in high school. Sure, some very young exceptional athletes qualify for national competitions. Giving hedges up to males makes no sense when we want to give fair opportunities to all our athletes. 

This sports realm is a different issue from sharing bathrooms. Someone enjoying  sport as themselves is not protecting the integrity of competition on the way to the highest levels. I have watched high school athletes competing at their best and proud of their accomplishments, no matter how far they were in the level of advancement, which were male to male or female to female. Mixing genders is not male testosterone in equality with female hormones. There is always the more qualified athlete and regular athletes, but mixing sexes with stronger strengths is not the route for fair competition.

Kath Allen

Peterborough