The general public doesn’t understand the complexities of this issue, and Republicans are capitalizing on that ignorance. Democrats are failing to counter with an informed, cohesive position. Their inability to effectively communicate the stakes only reinforces misconceptions.

Why ban trans youth from participating in sports before puberty?

Why ban trans athletes who’ve taken blockers and hormones, never undergoing male puberty?

Why ban trans athletes in sports where male puberty doesn’t confer an advantage?

The real issue here is discrimination. Anyone who genuinely cares about fairness in sports and maximizing participation cannot, in good faith, support a blanket ban on trans athletes.

If this were truly about fairness and inclusivity, we’d see carve-outs and nuance. For instance:

It concedes the core issue and shifts the conversation to technicalities. If states find a way to implement this law effectively, the Democrats’ argument falls apart entirely.

When you don't realize that you're the villain in the story...

It's so hard to hate someone you know. Statistically speaking, people who know a trans person are 64% more likely to support transgender rights. By sharing our stories and building connections we are changing minds. ❤️

How does she not realize that she is the villain in this story?

Oh yeah I've been following the whole saga. It's just so sad. In what world does someone think that the most unoffensive trans woman ever could be a danger to anyone? Meanwhile requiring her to use the men's restroom is objectively dangerous given the criminal record of some members of Congress...

It will. And also it's an incredibly sad state of affairs that our protection requires justification from a cis perspective in order to be palatable for some folks.

In other cases of course we will have to take into account hormone levels and time on hormones and any other relevant factors. But this IS an effective way of ensuring the playing field is level. The vast majority of trans girls in sports fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to performance.

For example, one area that could be immediately resolved is that any trans girl who has never gone through a male puberty, should be able to compete without question. There's no biological advantage in this case.

But I think it's equally important to defend trans girls participation in sports on its own merits and not just based on its rarity. Blanket bans on trans girls in sports are discriminatory and wrong.