By Madeleine Kearns
Wednesday, June 08, 2022
Emily Bridges — a man who says he’s a woman — is a
British cyclist. Lately, Bridges has caused controversy by seeking to switch
from the men’s competition to the women’s competition. The UCI barred Bridges
from competing against women at the British National Omnium Championships in
response to public outcry.
However, last week, Bridges was still permitted to
compete in a women’s race in London and came in first place. In second place
was another man who says he’s a woman, Lilly Chant.
As the men celebrated their victory over women, they
shared a kiss. Nearby, in third place, an actual woman, Jo Smith, cared for her
small child.
Obviously, this is outrageously unfair. As recently as
February, Bridges was competing, and winning, against other men.
But somehow he sees himself as the victim in this. In an interview with ITV
News, Bridges complained that he’s received “physical threats” of violence ever
since Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that biological males ought not to
compete against women.
Of course, nobody deserves to be physically threatened.
But the fact that online trolls exist as a public menace in no way legitimizes
a man’s participation in women’s sporting events. What the prime minister said
was an expression of common sense and decency, not an incitement to hatred or
violence.
Bridges told his interviewer that the objection to his
participation is unwarranted since his transition: “My performance has
decreased massively. I’ve lost aerobic performance; I’ve lost more than the gap
is between male and female athletes. Over explosive differences, I’ve gotten
worse comparatively. And I’m not near the top female athletes when it comes to
explosive power.”
I’ll say it again — a woman is not, and never
will be, an impaired man. To suggest otherwise is deeply sexist.
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