JimmieJoe

South Dakota’s state legislature had passed a bill that would ban trans girls from women’s sports, but Governor Kristi Noem refused to sign it, saying it would not survive court challenges. Republican legislators were not happy with her. Instead, she signed two executive orders, which will prevent trans women from taking part in high school or college sports.

I’m not sure why she thinks her executive orders will withstand court scrutiny if the legislation wouldn’t, but the GOP and it’s current crop of leaders lost all rationality a long time ago. “Don’t confuse me with facts, my mind’s already made up!”

Now, granted, the last time I was close to high school and college aged athletes, Nixon was President. I don’t suspect, however, that in the intervening years young boys and men have really changed all that much. I can’t imagine any guy deciding the men’s sports were too tough, so he is going to say he’s a girl now, put on a dress, and get himself onto the women’s tennis team. I just don’t see men pretending to be women, play on their teams, and then gloat over their victories.

Back in my school days, I seem to remember most of the women athletes were quite capable of standing on their own abilities, could wipe the floor with most of us non-athletic guys, and could give the athletic ones a run for their money. They’re not going to be competing against the guy in the picture above.

I suppose the party line, and it is by party line, is even if the above scenario is not what they’re afraid of, they want to protect “real girls” from being defeated by an individual that was born male, and that has some sort of advantage over them. Apparently “real girl” athletes are in dire need of protection from “fake girls”.

These bills across the county in Republican controlled state houses are simply attacks against the trans community to pander to right-wing nuts. They’re afraid the nuts might oust a reasonable Republican in a primary with a more bat-shit crazy opponent, ready to attack the LGBT community.

They’ve lost the battles against the LGB population, so now they’re focusing on the ‘T’. The bathroom wars didn’t work out, so now they’re going after women’s sports.

They don’t seem to think trans men are an issue, as there are no bills under consideration, as far a I have heard, to ban trans men from men’s sports. I suppose they think “real boys” can whip the “fake” ones easily enough.

This is a trans man, by the way. I think he can hold his own quite easily, but he seems to be invisible to the GOP (except for their failed attempt to kick him out of the military).

These trans bans are a solution looking for a problem that does not exist. Even when directly asked, no GOP legislator can provide even one example of unfair advantage by a trans woman in high school or college sports.

But they do, by gawd, get to stand there and beat their chests over how they’re protecting women’s sports. The condescension is staggering.

.* should be read in a condescending older white male voice