Stuck on the Sidelines

There have been many comments on this post, many of which have brought up issues of fairness for folks playing women’s rugby and not looking like qualified players, based on the fact that someone “appears to be a dude in a dress.”  This is extremely judgmental of players’ appearance and has little to do with their actual function in this competition, which is to play rugby.  Enough said.

First off, though this is appears humorous, it is actually a huge crack against female athletes everywhere, alluring to the traditional stereotypes of sportswomen not being “women” because athletes have butch’d them up far beyond “female recognition,” and actually hurts female participants, regardless of their gender identities.  Making this allusion effectively berates anyone who choses to present this way, and insinuates that this NOT an acceptable way to present as a female athlete.

Also, this post does nothing to respect those players who intend to have a specific aesthetic to their style or gender expression.  All because a player participates on a women’s team, doesn’t mean that they actually identify with terms such as “female” or “woman,” but find their bodies better suited to participate within the category, based on a multitude of factors that are all very personal and are often biologically based.  Folks who present in the manner in which this post implies are now being associated with trans folks (and even that, those who take testosterone), which can be completely inaccurate and will color the experience of those who are gender-non-conforming in sports, generating a hostile environment which in tradition has been an intentional act of some participants part to encourage these participants to leave teams, sport and overall competition.

On the topic of testosterone, I would wager that this is an example of what is to come for many TGNC participants in women’s sports - which will be a witch hunt to find out who is and isn’t taking testosterone.  Much like what happen to Caster Semenya, many players will now be forced to prove that they are qualified to compete, and all it will take is a number of person making a stink.  This is often humiliating to the player in question, like for Semenya, and for some, the result will be leaving competition completely from said embarrassment (effectively, the “saboteur” wins).  Sadly, this also will create a boundary of what is “acceptable” for women’s competition, in which the bar will be set for women to stop at, and anyone who accelerates past that expectation will be questioned as “not being woman enough.” Ultimately, this is really just an extension of traditional misogynistic views on women’s athletics and sets the bar too low for female athletic aspirations.

Taking testosterone is illegal based on OIC guidelines unless a waiver is obtained with medical clearance through the OIC and/or other governing committee.  Though I would see it as highly unlikely for USA Rugby or any other governing body to rule it acceptable for a female-assigned-at-birth participant acceptable, it is not out of the realm of possibility.  Additionally, it could be argued that testosterone does not affect every body equally (truth) and has different effects on different folks, but this is another conversation entirely.

For those who also viewed this post, there is an implication that same unkind perceptions of trans women competing would also pan out, as some folks do not “pass” to their competitors’ views of what qualifies a female participant.  Even folks who have undergone the OIC’s regulations, which require 2 years of hormone treatment, gender confirmation surgery (genitally based) and legal cross sex recognition will still undergo this scrutiny, when they still have every right to participate and thrive (USA Rugby ALSO abides by OIC’s policy).  In this light, this post perpetuates the dehumanizing views of these legally participating sports women and only hurts women’s athletics in the long run.  Need us forget what happened to Michelle Dumaresq and the transphobia she endured because of this prejudice.

fuckyeahwomensrugby:

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