Logic is hard

Related to yesterday’s post on Laurel Hubbard:

From Spiked, Jo Bartosch lays it out:

At 36, Hubbard was a mediocre male weightlifter nearing the end of his career. This changed in 2012 when Hubbard ‘transitioned’ to become a world-class super heavyweight in the women’s category. And this week things got even better for Hubbard, when it was announced that, thanks to a 2015 change in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines, he will be permitted to compete against females at the Tokyo Olympics. 

….Above all, Hubbard should be grateful for the change to the IOC guidelines. This allows male athletes who identify as women to enter the female category without requiring any surgery, provided their total testosterone level in serum is kept below 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months. This far exceeds the average testosterone level for women, which ranges from 0.3 to 2.4 nanomoles per litre.

I would like to add here, that there is a question as to whether or not Hubbard has had any surgery in this regard. I can’t find any indication that he has. Not that it matters – mind you – an man with an orchiectomy is just a man with no testicles – not a woman. And remember, it doesn’t matter. IOC regulations say all that’s needed to compete as a woman is declaring yourself a woman and getting those testosterone levels lowered for a year.

The inclusion of Hubbard in the women’s weightlifting category will certainly be an entertaining spectacle – there is nothing more delicious than watching the wokerati choke on reality. But the cost will weigh heavily on women athletes, whose dedication and skill will be annihilated by the presence of Hubbard. The name of the woman denied a place by Hubbard qualifying is Kuinini ‘Nini’ Manumua. She’s half Hubbard’s age, and Tokyo would have been her first Olympics.

It is no more offensive to admit that, on average, men outperform women in sport than it is to acknowledge that men can’t give birth. It is, however, offensive to reduce the biological reality of womanhood to a testosterone marker. With training and dedication there was a possibility that Hubbard could have become a champion male weightlifter. But what is certain is that Hubbard will never be a woman.

What will change this? Changing the requirements – but I don’t think anything is really going to change until women and girls step up and step down – boycotting formerly female-only competitions in which males are being allowed to compete. A hard ask, a heroic thing to do. But it’s got to happen, I think.

Let me just add this:

This is an opportunity to bring some real clarity to one’s thinking on these matters.

Is Laurel Hubbard a “woman?”

If your answer is “yes,” then ask yourself, why. What makes Hubbard a woman?

It seems that according to the IOC and supporters, what makes Hubbard a woman is artificially lowering testosterone for a year and calling himself a woman.

Do you really think that’s what a woman is?

If not, if you balk at that then keeping going. Take the logic a few more steps.

Keep going…keep…going….