2161: She's Always a Woman

[Keith]

What if this was all a way for Mary to finally get this compliment...

She's that sick.

#yousayrollerdurbyasmuchasyouwant

[Scumhook]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

i'd totally do to you all the things Scummy is jerking off to right now.

Aaaaaaaand I'm done...


aahhhh

[PsychoLoco]

Originally Posted by marykae

I am happy when men try to understand what women go through. What I am not happy with are men saying what they would do if they were a woman.

How many times do I have to hear a man say what he would do in a certain situation, when they have NONE of the baggage that comes with being a woman?

Could you please provide some examples of what advice or comments men are making that upset you? I'm trying to think of some and the logic goes no where in my head. I think the real problem is that you're dealing with dumb or asshole men.

There are situations where there is clearly a correct solution to a problem and correct advice, such as (sadly a true story), "Honey, don't drive across town on a flat tire. You need to walk around the car and check it every time before you start it and then call me from the parking lot next door when you see the flat tire. Didn't you notice the car pulling to the right?" My wife's answer, "I did notice it pulling to the right, I just thought it was the wind." If she had the same 'baggage' I did, like 20 years of driving experience instead of just 1 year, she'd probably come to the same conclusion I did.

Then there are situations I could envision where a man gives a woman advice as if she were a man, like saying, "If I were you and someone sexually harassed me, I'd beat their ass." That's just bad advice.

I honestly would like you to provide me with an example of a situation where if you and I both had the same information, you would be able to come up with a better solution ONLY because you're a woman. I cannot think of a single situation where I'd tell a woman that I know better than her just because I'm a man.

[Lanfear]

Originally Posted by marykae

I mentioned it up thread. I've been chastised by other listeners for saying "roller derby" too many times so I use it sparingly ;-)

Talk about it all you want as far as I'm concerned.
Rollerderby is finally slowly getting a start in Germany, I always wanted to watch a bout and one of my colleagues is a ref so he let me know that we have a team in Frankfurt now.

Bembel Town Rollergirls FTW!

[WittyReference]

Originally Posted by Scumhook

Am I the only one.... whatever nonsense I usually write to get attention...

You must know that the answer to that is always yes.

[marykae]

Originally Posted by Lanfear

Talk about it all you want as far as I'm concerned.
Rollerderby is finally slowly getting a start in Germany, I always wanted to watch a bout and one of my colleagues is a ref so he let me know that we have a team in Frankfurt now.

Bembel Town Rollergirls FTW!

Bear City made it to D2 Championships last year. They are from Germany, I believe!

[ImStillToni]

Slightly off topic, but Amy was even more hilarious this time around. I missed the beginning live and now that I'm listening, the banter between you three is hilarious.

Amy really wasn't high? Or drunk? She just talks so laid back (do not recall her sounding like this last time), it made me laugh even harder.

Ok, yall can get back to it then

[Eric M]

It really is a shitty situation. There is no transgender leauge of MMA so there really is no place for this person. You can look at 100 fitness models/mma fighter women and you will never see shoulders and traps like this Fallon Fox has. Those developed before she decided to transition. It's just an unfair fight.

[DaveNJ]

Originally Posted by Eric M

It really is a shitty situation. There is no transgender leauge of MMA so there really is no place for this person. You can look at 100 fitness models/mma fighter women and you will never see shoulders and traps like this Fallon Fox has. Those developed before she decided to transition. It's just an unfair fight.

It also seems tough because of the timing of transition/length of time since transitioning/degree of transition is important here. In the same way that there's natural variation among people, there's natural variation about the effects of transition. Some people will see more bone density loss transitioning to female, and others won't. Ditto for things like muscle loss. It's really difficult to set an acceptable level there from a competitive standpoint.

I mean, how much muscle loss would be acceptable? 10%? 20%? How would one even gauge that? It's not as though trans athletes are getting in-depth measurements of muscle mass and bone density before and after transition.

And none of this considers people who don't identify as either gender. Can a genderfluid person compete in both men's and women's divisions at their discretion?

The competitive framework of organized women's sports rests on the underlying principle that women should not have to compete with people who went through puberty with male sex organs. I knew women in college who were competitive cross country runners, some of the best in D1 NCAA competition. Their times were comparable to guys on my high school team. In a world where these women have to compete against guys for training time, coaching and resources, none of them would have been able to do so. Instead, these were scholarship athletes who got to travel the country, compete and hone their skills to achieve the fastest times they could.

Our athletic norms and competitions hinge on a biological rather than social construction of gender. That may seem antiquated, but biological norms aren't just enforced at the gender level. Individuals can't even take legal steroids if they want to compete in most competitions due to the desire to preserve the spirit of these endeavors. That's a tough, inherently exclusionary proposition for lots of people, including some trans athletes.

That said, I just don't see a viable workaround at present. The social construction of gender runs into a really harsh reality when longer legs and thinner hips confer real, major advantages that can't be taken away without surgical procedures that do not yet exist.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by DaveNJ

And none of this considers people who don't identify as either gender. Can a genderfluid person compete in both men's and women's divisions at their discretion?

Now THAT'S the way to play it.

"After coincidentally looking at my record, it turns out I find the women's league a better fit for me after all."