Women Shouldn’t Accept Third Place In A Race They Won

Through an Executive Order signed on his first day in office, President Biden is now asking women across America to step aside and let biological males win their races, take their spots on competitive teams, and erase everything they have worked and trained for, all in the pursuit of “fairness, equity and justice.”

In effect, Biden is asking women and girls to be gracious and smile politely from the sidelines as they accept third, fourth or fifth place as biological males dominate the competition, sweeping up girls athletic state championships and college scholarships. 

This is exactly what has happened in Connecticut, where two biologically male runners brought home 15 women’s state championship titles between 2017 and 2019.

Speaking with Fox News, female high school track star Selina Soule condemned the “continued unfairness” of the policy which allows “transgender high school athletes to compete without restrictions.”

“I lost out on countless opportunities to get placements, get titles, and qualify for further meets to display my talents to college coaches,” she said.

Soule is among three female Connecticut athletes and their mothers, who are now fighting in the courts for the right to compete fairly in athletic events. Biden’s executive order makes this fight harder, with more states likely to follow Connecticut’s ignominious lead.

Those girls, who have trained, sacrificed and excelled, should have emerged as girls track champions. Instead, they have been sidelined by the biological males who beat them to the finish line.

Women should not be relegated to clapping politely from the bench while biological males pump their fists in victory at the finish line.

Given that Democrats claim to be the party of science, the following scientific facts seem relevant when arguing that biological differences exist, and that such differences provide one sex with a physical advantage over the other.

1. Generally, male athletes have longer and larger bones, giving them a significant advantage over female athletes. The greater articular surface and structural mass of male bones provide men with the advantages of both increased leverage and a larger frame to support muscle.

2. Likewise, female ligaments are more lax and fragile than those of males, giving male athletes an edge in most sports, especially those that involve throwing, kicking and striking. The disparity in ligament and tendon strength also results in a higher incidence of musculoskeletal injuries among female athletes.

3. The ratio of muscle mass to body weight is higher in males, which provides greater speed and acceleration. This explains why women’s speed records in swimming and running are consistently slower than those of men, and why, on average, women have two thirds of the strength of men.

For example, the fastest female sprinter in the world, Allyson Felix, has a lifetime best of 49.26 seconds in the 400 meter run. Based on 2018 data, nearly 300 high school boys in the US alone could beat that time. Given such biological disparity, any form of physical competition between males and females is demonstrably unfair.

Some transgender advocates insist that hormone therapy erases the physical advantages of male athletes. Hogwash. Hormone therapy cannot and does not magically decrease the size of a male’s larger and longer bones, his larger and stronger tendons, nor his larger heart and lung capacity.

While estrogen therapy can increase fat and decrease muscle mass in men, a study of males transitioning into females at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute found that even after one year of testosterone suppression, transgender women showed only a 5% loss of muscle mass, with markers such as muscle strength, size, and composition still significantly greater for transgender women over biological women. Not to mention that many transgender women aren’t even required to prove that they are taking testosterone blockers — just the fact that they identify as a woman is enough to get them a spot on the girls team.

Despite the usual accusations, such views have nothing to do with discrimination or antipathy. For example, there should be no concern regarding transgender males competing with biological males, as they have no unfair physical advantages.

We should never disparage anyone’s right to live freely and authentically as they choose, as long as it doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s rights or opportunities. 

But by allowing biological males to compete against females, the rights of women and girls to fair and safe competition are being dangerously infringed upon. Female athletes shouldn’t be lectured about “empathy” or “fairness” as they watch biological men shatter athletic records in women’s cycling, weightlifting and track and field. 

This nonsensical reality will only get worse as the media slavishly lauds transgender athletes as brave and heroic victims of injustice, featuring them on the covers of national magazines and fawning television interviews. 

Where is the empathy for the young women who have devoted their lives to athletic training, only to see their hopes and dreams unfairly dashed? Indeed, the response is usually quite the opposite: women and girls who speak up for their rights in sports are often maligned as selfish, hateful, or worse. It has been disheartening to see tennis legend Martina Navratilova and author J.K. Rowling trashed as bigots for daring to recognize the obvious unfairness to women athletes and openly name it as such.  

In the words of the young Connecticut athlete Selina Soule, “It’s very frustrating and heartbreaking when us girls are at the start of the race and we already know that these athletes are going to come out and win no matter how hard you try.” It’s past time for feminists to stand up and say that girls shouldn’t be bullied into accepting third place in races they’ve won.

Kelley Paul is a political consultant and author, with a background in corporate communications. In addition to her 2015 book True and Constant Friends, she co-wrote the best-seller The Case Against Socialism with her husband, Senator Rand Paul. 

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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