Readers respond to last week’s Feedback Friday topic, which was:
Gender Fairness in Sports or Not?
Posted Feb. 17, 2023
This week, the “Save Women’s Sports Act” was heard in the Maryland General Assembly. It’s a version of a bill introduced in last year’s session that aims to solidify the designation of players on female high school sports teams as biologically female.
House Bill 359 would require certain interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams or sports sponsored by certain schools to be expressly designated based on biological sex; prohibiting certain entities from taking certain adverse actions against a school or county board of education for maintaining separate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams and sports for students of the female sex; and providing that certain individuals have the right to bring a civil action under certain circumstances.
Basically, it’s a bill that, if passed, would ensure that transgender student athletes—specifically those born biologically male who have transitioned to a female identity—cannot compete on girls’ varsity or junior varsity high school sports teams.
Bill sponsor Delegate Kathy Szeliga says, “It ensures that girls who qualify for high school junior varsity and varsity sports are competing against other biological girls. It’s about protecting girls’ opportunities for success in competitive sports. There must be fairness, and safety, in sports for girls to hold state records, qualify for collegiate scholarships, and find success.”
Critics of the bill, especially of the LGBTQ+ community, argue the bill is expressly discriminatory.
Currently, the bill is in the Ways & Means Committee.
Question: Do you agree or disagree with the bill and why?
Here’s what you said:
I disagree with this bill "Save Women's Sports Act", and do not believe that transgender girls should be excluded from girls JV/Varsity school athletics. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I support transgender youth. I do not believe that this bill is aiming to "save" or protect high school girls sports, or to fight for fairness for girls sports like the title says, but quite the opposite. It seems like another way to try to monitor our expression and identity, and to make an already vulnerable group of people feel excluded, and not recognized for who they truly are. I recognize that transgender girls are girls and therefore should play on that team accordingly.
Kelsey Sweetman, Churchton
This is common sense legislation to ensure safety and fairness. We must protect female athletes and save girls sports.
N F, Millersville
I totally agree with the proposed legislation. I can not conceive of a reason why someone who was born male and has transgendered should be able to compete in female sports.
Maggie Jarboe, Sherwood
This Bill basically states that a biological male transitioning to a female identity cannot compete on girl's varsity or junior varsity High School sports teams. First of all, I am shocked that we even need a "Bill" to promote something that by all means is "common sense"! We are all born with either male or female chromosomes and no amount of "transitioning" can change that. I guess that is how and why sports teams have always been either male or female. Females have been marginalized through history and our teenage girls today have enough issues to deal with in our society. And having to compete on a girl's High School sports team against a "biological male transitioned to a female identity" should not be one of them! Thank you Delegate Kathy Szeliga for sponsoring this bill.
Rosalind Miele, Odenton
I agree with the bill.
Mark Vanreuth, Annapolis
Thank you Delegate Szeliga - it is about time people started speaking out - girls deserve rights as well - it is such an unfair playing field to allow biological boys to compete against biological girls - for all of the obvious reasons - and the reasons recited by Szeliga
Margaret Templeton, Annapolis
Individuals who insist on allowing (if not encouraging) transgender people to compete in girl's athletics strike me as both selfish and out of touch. Athletic competition has long been separated between male and female categories for reasons of equity and fairness to competitors. Regardless of how they identify, transgender people are neither male nor female. In sports we do not open competition up in ways that obviously give some participants an unearned advantage. It would be senseless and inhumane to knowingly do so for anyone. How can you be for that? The reasonable person would not accept or want that advantage...for themselves or for their loved ones. Participation by all is a wonderful goal but merit - and biology - still matter. If they don't you have taken the primary purpose behind sports away. Reasonable people know that isn't right.
John T Sommer, Annapolis
What satisfaction would anyone get from unfairly competing in a sport? Males are genetically different from females (viva la difference) and born for a different purpose. It is unnatural to change the selection and unfair for different sexes to compete in any sport requiring physical interaction.
Bill Taylor, Annapolis, MD
I completely support HB 359. It is patently unfair for girls to lose scholarships to bio males, who are genetically stronger. Most of these bio males are not completing their "reassignment" surgeries so it's possible they are faking being women so they can win, just like Mr. Thomas the swimmer. They also don't belong in women's bathrooms exposing themselves. Cannot believe this is even a debate. BTW - don't come for me.
Liz League, Severna Park
Wholeheartedly support Save Women's Sports Act. This insane Woke Agenda the LBGTQ+ minority is pushing is anti woman & anti common sense. Men are not women, women are not men. 2 sexes only. Male & Female. Allowing biological males to compete w/ biological females is outrageously unfair & will destroy girl's & women's sports.
Let people who don't know or embrace what birth sex they are engage in sporting events with each other.
This is madness.
Eileen Hoyland, Annapolis
This bill is strictly pertaining to high school girls JV and Varsity teams. I support our high-caliber girls who work so hard to achieve success in a competitive athletic environment. Females have had to fight, and still do, to obtain an even playing field with males in most areas. This would be a set-back to gender-equity. To allow a transgender female, who doesn't even need to have gone through any hormone therapy, to play against biological females is unfair and unsafe. Sports such as volleyball and lacrosse have different equipment and rules. Just picture a male playing against females. Referees have even warned about injuries.
Sex drives performance, and even with hormone therapy the physiological differences will not match up. Many sports teams are separated by age, weight, or ability along with sex. Therefore, athletic opportunities can be offered in mixed or open categories, along with recreational, intramural and club teams to provide for all. But I am not for compromising our high school girls and their dreams. Yes, feelings are hurt and there are tears in competitive sports. Not everyone gets what they want. But integrity in competition matters, and that starts with having the same sex play against each other.
Debbie Yatsuk, Annapolis
I oppose legislation that tries to impose a one-size-fits-all "resolution" to a problem that is a concern to a minority of people. Each transgender case is unique and has its own considerations. This complex matter should be resolved on a case-by-case basis, if possible. If local resolution is not possible then let the record book show that the event was won by a transgender athlete to accommodate nontransgender athletes.
Robert Davis, Odenton
What I'd like to know is how many instances have there been in Maryland high schools over the past year of transgender males playing on what had been biological girls only teams? Over the past 10 years? And how many of those cases resulted in a record being set or a cis girls only team losing out on a championship? I for one am pretty tired of what used to be the party of principled conservatism offering nothing more than outrage over what in the real world are non-issues.
Marc Knapp, Annapolis
Why are we even talking about this??? Boys, whether they think they are girls or boys have a distinct physical advantage over biological girls. We as a society have allowed the tail to wag the dog over this and many other issues of "fairness" and "equity", and have totally lost our common sense. If you want to see the total collapse of girls in sports, just keep undermining their fair opportunity to compete on a level playing field. And for God's sake, if a transgender guy can't handle competing in his own league of males, perhaps he should form his own league of trans athletes who compete against one another. Leave the girls alone and quit forcing them to comply with decisions made by woke politicians.
Amy Leahy, Severna Park
It is about safety. Someone will get hurt if genetically born males compete against genetically born females.
Marge Mocniak, Annapolis
I support the bill
Terence Smith, Annapolis
I do not support this bill. Trans girls should be permitted to play in girls sports. If they've received medical/health care for their transition, their bodies actually conform to those of girls who are assigned female at birth which puts them at equal levels of skills. There has been no documentation of trans girls competing and achieving high levels of winning in MD so why put this bill in place if this isn't even happening.
Kai Gagnon, College Park
I favor the bill because it provides the only way for biological women to compete in sports with a much greater chance of winning and a considerably decreased likelihood of being seriously injured. In virtually all sports games in which transgender women compete against biological women, members of the former group won, generally quite easily. In spite of hormone changes, the body proportions and muscle strength and size of a biological male provide significant advantages in virtually all sports. Although I empathize with transgender women who want to participate in games with women instead of men, I do not consider the bill discriminatory; rather it is essential to protecting a class of women engaging in a particular activity that requires equity and fairness concerning opportunities to win a game. Perhaps there could be separate games for transgender women to compete solely against each other; at least, there would be more fairness and comeraderie, along with less resentment over outcomes. I firmly believe that our country has now been affording many other opportunities for people of all beliefs, races, and orientations to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stipulated in our Constitution.
Carol Moyer, Riva
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