Transgender Fencer Sparks Controversy with Prestigious Win on Women’s Team

[Celsius]

Men are the best at women's sports 

 

[mokwit]

2 hours ago, James105 said:

 

No, there does not.  Stonewall started this grift when they realised that attaining equality for gay and lesbian people wasn't good for business and needed a perpetual business model.   Pitting transgenders against women is the almost perfect grift as it is a dispute that can never be settled as to give more rights to one you have to take away from another.   

 

The only way this grift ends is when we go back to the good old days and stop pretending that men can actually become women.  

Salary and benefits is driving this.

[thaibeachlovers]

I fully support any man's right to live as a woman, dress as a women, etc, but it is a nonsense to ever believe that they ARE a woman.

 

They will always be a man acting the part of a woman, unless science invents a way to change chromosomes.

[johnnybangkok]

I see the usual brigade are out in droves, pearl clutching to the extremee whilst conveniently ignoring the FACT that many, many sports to include althletics, swimming, rugby, cricket, cycling, rowing and tennis already ban trans althletes. There are a few outlier sports (and I'd include fencing as outlier) that are still trying to work out what to do but I think the majority of sports where 'women who used to be men' is considered an advantage have already adressed the subject and acted appropriately.  

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/transgender-athletes-ban-rules-olympics-b2529369.html

[Kwaibill]

20 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

I see the usual brigade are out in droves, pearl clutching to the extremee whilst conveniently ignoring the FACT that many, many sports to include althletics, swimming, rugby, cricket, cycling, rowing and tennis already ban trans althletes. There are a few outlier sports (and I'd include fencing as outlier) that are still trying to work out what to do but I think the majority of sports where 'women who used to be men' is considered an advantage have already adressed the subject and acted appropriately.  

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/transgender-athletes-ban-rules-olympics-b2529369.html

My input is more related to the activity than the gender issue per se. Regarding fencing the sometimes advantages imparted by the male physique in sports activities are much less pronounced with the possible exception of fencing with the cutlass.  Innate strength is considerably less important than speed and agility when engaging with foil or epe’e. In fact too vigorous “thrashing about” can result in scoring deficit.

In my growing-up home town we had a former Olympic fencing coach ( Mr. Jones) and I joined the fencing club at my undergraduate university, so I do have some insight. The “swashbuckling” scenes in films can be faves or vast disappointments when choreographed by subject inexperienced “action” directors.

[thesetat]

2 hours ago, mokwit said:

Why can't they recognise they have an unfair advantage and have the decency not to compete in womens sports - or is that what it is really about?

Have you ever read or seen or heard of a trans walk away from taking advantage of someone who is not a trans? 

Their competing against a weaker sex gives them the unfair advantage to win as shown in this OP. 26th place against men. 1st place against women.. 

[Kwaibill]

3 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

I used to fence competitively - got through to the British Army finals one year, got beaten spectacularly by someone who was in the British Olympic Squad, so that is another story.

 

But of course this bloke won, (and yes he is a bloke, no matter how he dresses or identifies), twice the size, twice the reach and twice the strength. A complete nonsense.

 

Chap needs a haircut too!

I might question your assertion of “twice” in every metric. On what do you base this? I am nearly twice my wife’s weight but certainly not twice her height, my reach is about 125% of hers, not 200%, and though we have not made any attempt to quantify it I am pretty sure I am not ( any longer ) twice as strong.

In my college fencing days I was pretty regularly beaten by smaller, female fencers.

.

Just saying I think it is an area where the usual genetic disparity does not confer undue advantage, similar to the way I have seen  some opinions that women can be superior pilots, e.g.