WAR ON WOMEN HITS THE DIAMOND
While a head coach at a NJCAA Division I school in Texas, I spent a great deal of my time in California, at summer softball tournaments, seeking out new talent for my squad. Now those searches just became extremely clouded because I do not agree that men who merely feel like women should be allowed to play alongside ladies. It’s not a matter of feelings, it’s a matter of fairness…and there is nothing fair about a guy squaring off against a girl in a physical competition.
California has long been known as the best state for recruiting star softball players. Ladies from the Golden State were a perfect match for the diamond…but that may soon be changing thanks to Governor Jerry Brown, and the newest law to hit women were it hurts. Assembly Bill 1266 permits that students be allowed to participate in whatever activity they wish based on their personal views about their gender, regardless of whether it lines up with the biological gender they were born under or are currently medically labeled.
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation their position on the subject is as follows:
“Since the opportunities for men have not been historically limited and men are typically overrepresented in athletic departments, men do not have the same rights to compete on women’s teams as women do on men’s teams. While some courts in Equal Rights Amendment states have found that such a position violates the individual rights of men, other courts in Equal Rights Amendment states and federal courts supporting 14th Amendment protections have found that protecting the participation rights of women as a previously discriminated against “class” outweigh the rights of an “individual” man to play on a women’s team. When members of the overrepresented gender (usually males), are permitted to play on teams for the underrepresented gender (usually women), they further diminish opportunities for the underrepresented gender.”
Now, the argument California’s AB 1266 is attempting to make is that these are not males but rather women trapped inside the body of a man. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is the governing body for the Olympic sports, California’s new law would not permit these males from participating on a women’s Olympic team. The IOC has historically tested for questions of gender determination since 1968. The current rules would NOT permit the young man in California, to play on a women’s team.
The IOC rules updated in 2012 state:
“The new rules disqualify athletes from women’s events if they have testosterone levels in the normal male range, which is 7 to 30 nanomoles per liter in the blood. The top range for women is just below 3 nanomoles per liter. Athletes with complete androgen insensitivity will be allowed to compete”
Women have fought for decades to compete in sports and now we are facing more opposition from laws such as AB 1266. If males are allowed to play on girls teams this will reduce the number of positions available for women. Title IX was written to even the playing field so that girls did not have to simply cheer on the sidelines. Title IX made it possible for girls to step out of their cheerleading positions and onto the playing field. Thanks to Governor Brown, it seems women will soon need a Title IX(b) so that we can create a third field of play…boys, girls, and “other”. Or, perhaps girls will be forced to dust off their pom pom’s and get back to the sidelines. War on Women!
Stay tuned as I will be contacting many of my friends who are currently working as Head Coaches in various sports around the county. It will be interesting to see how my former colleagues plan to handle these new complications. There are specific guidelines which must be followed to ensure fairness and safety. Imagine a young girl who feels she is a male deciding to become a boxer. How many of the AB 1266 supporters would believe her chances against a man would be fair once she stepped in the ring? Maybe that is exactly what it will take to knock some sense into these liberal headaches.
