Why It's Not Protecting Women to Ban Trans Women from Sports

Is Donald Trump a champion level protector of women? That was the thesis of a recent editorial by Ingrid Jacques in USAToday that lauded the president's "protection of women" by fulfilling a promise to "stand up for fairness" with his executive order that the federal government will recognize only the two sexes: male and female (you can read the editorial here.) Through the order, every reference of trans or intersex people - you know, anything "abnormal" the white hetero males of America - was scrubbed completely from every federal website, including health information for trans people.

Jacques then goes into great detail of how Trump's desire to put a national ban on trans women from participating in women's sports is the highest proof of Trump's care for what the writer considers "the fairer sex."

The writer provides no proof or evidence that trans women have an undeniable or even large advantage over afab women (assigned female at birth) she just knows it's an advantage, "like everyone else does."

I decided to write a note to Jacques with some questions about deeming Trump, a man found liable unanimously of sexual assault by 12 American citizens on a civil jury, who claimed his victim had to be lying because she wasn't his "type." Also of her claims around trans women in sports. I've not heard back from the writer, yet, but wait patiently. In the meantime, I want to share with you to give a bit of perspective of this issue that is being used to dehumanize a people group in our land and to make good people stand, I believe, very much on the wrong side of history. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

Ms. Jacques,

I read with interest your column on how former President Biden wanted to “erase women” while “thank God,” President Trump is now saving them. I’m very interested how you’ve arrived at these conclusions as in your story, you've shared nothing that is a foundation of these beliefs, they just… I guess… are… your beliefs… and you believe anyone without those beliefs… wants to erase women?

I guess for this discussion we need to set aside that Trump brags about grabbing women by the p*ssy and walking into the dressing women of underage girls in various states of undress at the Miss Teen USA pageant or was found liable of sexual abuse (of which the judge said we should make no mistake and know that a jury of 12 American citizens unanimously found him guilty of rape) and that he appointed Matt Gates, deeply embroiled in a scandal that may well entail sex with an underage girl, and Pete Hegseth, who also has been investigated of inappropriate sexual imposition of himself on a woman, and Trump's long and close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and his willingness to release JKF assassination and 9/11 files, but NOT Epstein's and his well-wishes to Epstein's groomer Ghislain Maxwell and comment that she was a “good person” when her day in court for taking underage girls to forced sex with old men came up - uuuhhhh take a breath…. Let’s not let that taint our view of Trump as a “champion" of women.

Instead, let’s look at the research and science you sighted as to why Trump is dead-on in reversing the "erasing of women" by writing a cruel executive order dehumanizing trans women and endorsing such anti-human laws that have been passed in some 20+ states in recent months and years. WHAT? You didn’t sight a single study or piece of scientific research. I know there is limited research because there are very few trans athletes competing in sports, not nearly enough to create the ruckus that Riley Gaines has used to bring big evangelical church world fame by marginalizing the people rightwing Christians use to get appearances on Fox News and TBN. 

Nor do you cite any research for banning trans women in sports other than noting “various professional sports leagues tightening their rules.” By this you laud as evidence Trump is doing the right thing by attempting to erase trans people? May I implore you to remember we are not that far removed from golf holding a major tournament at a "whites-only" golf club. That club had to be forced to allow ONE black MALE member in so they could keep their tournament. By the way, it was many years later before that club allowed a woman to join its exclusive rolls. In soccer, it was only months ago that our female national team players had to create a ruckus to be given their own hotel rooms, as the men - a much less successful franchise on the world stage - have been given for decades. And not so long ago, a Major Leader Baseball exec said “blacks don’t have the mental capabilities to be managers" and football needing to force its teams to interview black candidates for coaching openings. Yet, you want to use pro sports as your gauge for the rightness on equality????

Tell me this, the head of the NCAA told congress about a week ago that of the 510,000 athletes competing in the NCAA this past academic year, less than ten are trans. How many of these trans athletes have you heard of? I mean if these trans women have the UNBELIEVABLE physical advantage you so assuredly tell us they do, then they must be DOMINATING their individual sports making it obvious who they are. Yet you DO NOT KNOW WHO THEY ARE. Why not?

Maybe you know the young woman at San Jose State who plays volleyball and other schools forfeited games rather than exposing their athletes to her monstrous play and their fans to her evil influence? Yet, you only know her because her Christian roommate outed her, not because she’s dominating the sport. She’s played at SJSU as an unknown player for three years and now her roommate has decided to join Riley Gaines on the Christian "news" circuit of Fox and OAN. Had this roommate not said these things about her roommate and teammate (the athlete nor the school has said the young woman is trans) nobody would know of her because she was not even the best player on her team which was not even the best team in the Mountain West, which is not even close to the best volleyball conference in the country.

The little bit of research I’ve seen is inconclusive. It seems to show that, yes, trans women may have a bigger skeletal system after transitioning, but many other bodily systems that are important when it comes to sports - like lung capacity and maintaining muscle mass - decrease tremendously through the process of hormone therapy and gender affirming care. Your viewpoint is simply one constantly fed by religious marginalizing of people and rightwing media fed propaganda - there is NO evidence of any real foundation to which you can point. Perhaps, just a desire to have someone to point to and say “at least I’m better than ’those people.’”

May I finish by pointing you to a recent letter from Spencer Cox, a Republican Governor and Trump Supporter in a deeply red state. When his state legislature was in the process of passing an anti-trans in sports bill, he shared why he planned to veto the bill. His message was basically that he didn’t want to pass a bill that tells a group of people in his state that they don’t matter (not women, as you claim, but those trans children who have their chance of ending their own lives skyrocket every time someone like you claims they don’t deserve to be treated as real human beings) just because four trans children - only one of them a trans-female - want a chance to play sports and make friends and be part of a team like every other kid.

By the way, the Utah state legislature overrode the governor’s veto, because apparently, like you, the prefer kowtowing to rightwing political correctness, over saving the life of a trans child. A child whose life you all would prefer to erase. Just as Trump spent tens of millions of dollars in ads telling you he would. I wish I could say I was surprised or disappointed, but it is perfectly clear, when it comes to Trump and his rightwing followers, cruelty is the point, not a side feature.

I hope you’ll take a moment to consider my words, but I know introspection is not something many have capacity for anymore, so I’ll just continue to grieve and hope that your article doesn’t cause someone you know or someone in your circle to decide to agree with you that their life isn’t worth existing. Be well,

Paul Swearengin