Observations From the Spectrum

No child should be removed from their peer group unless they are violent or predatory towards other people including their peers. To remove a child from their peer group due to how they gender identify does not help to foster a healthy society. Children need to be given the opportunity to be children and where the lines are grey, aduts need to find inclusive solutions.

The Transgender in Sport deabte is complicated becasue too many think of it as one debate. It is clearly not. The TIS debate should be broken down into three parts: children in sport, adults in sports and sexual predators. But the problem is that we try to lump all issues into one pot.

Any sexual predator, especially those who prey on children, should not be part of society. Interpret however you like. I think it would behoove society to put more time and energy into mental health across the ages as a preventative measure, but once the line is crossed in an egregious manner, lock, key, see ya.

If you were unable to recognize that your thoughts towards children were off and to seek help, then as Yoda would say, “ Part of society you no longer will be.” And this is especially true for those who use the mask of transgender as a tool to victimize their prey.

Now onto sport and those who fit into society for the most part. I will be honest, I don’t really care about this debate. I think there are problems across the board no matter how you dice it. The main flaws being cheating and money.

It is a fact that many people will cheat to make money whether in sport, business, politics or whatever. Without capital, life is hard. Most people, if given the opportunity, will cut or bend an ethical corner to gain more. Tax evasion. Drug dealing. Insider trading. Doping.

In sport, many athletes dope. That is a fact partly due to the fact that in some sports doping is legal. So the science is there. The access is there and in a sport where doping is illegal, athletes make choices. Those choices affect the outcome of the game. Lance Armstrong. A-Rod. Marion Jones. Ben Johnson. 

Doping changes the performance level of the athlete so that they are better than they would be without drugs. The problem with Trans Adults in sport is that Trans Women have more testosterone than their Bio Women counterparts. 

This could be an easy line but the problem is that some Bio Women have more testosterone than both. They are born with it but the governing body of women’s athletics wants to limit the level of testosterone for all participants even those born with higher levels than their opponents.

This makes it complicated along with salaries and the money behind sport. Sport is only interesting if there is a perceived competition. If not, it’s boring. I don’t have an opinion either way. How professional sports and the Division 1 team feeders govern athletes is a different debate.

The debate that I do have an opinion on whether or not Transgender Children should be allowed to participate in sport based on their gender identity. The short answer is simple. Yes. Children should be able to participate in sport no matter what appendage they have between their legs. Period. 

First, one out of every thousand children are born with both genitalia. A penis and a vagina. The doctor or the family make the decision for the child. It would stand to reason then that those same doctors and family members made the wrong choice. And since we live in a patriarch, it would also stand to reason that there are more girls in boys bodies than vice-versa.

But before we get there, there is the fact that a person under the age of 18 is a child. Society has blurred those lines in many places. As a society we need to make that line clear again. Children need to be reared, protected, and allowed the freedom to become the best version of themselves.

Now, if you are on the other side of this debate and against children in sport, I offer this as food for thought. Any kid who is part of teh LGBTQ family who steps out of the shadows at a young age should be viewed as a valued member of society. It takes guts, courage, wherewithal and a love of themselves to come out. 

Those who disregard them or view them as weirdos in society have not had a huge burden hanging over them. These kids and their desire to be themselves, trumps peer pressure and how conservative society wants them to be. They should be rewarded.

And furthermore, the Constitution states clearly that All Americanns are bestowed upon them certain inalienable rights including Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. I understand that last point to mean, be the best version of yourself and be allowed and supported in pursuing your dreams.

Adults who are worried about Transgender children in sports are in a weird place mentally becasue they are viewing children based on their sex not on their desires and capabilities and/or interests. And the fact remains that a small percentage of adults play sport post high school.

The solution seems pretty simple. Allow kids to be kids. Foster nurturing environments in which self-exploration and personal growth are valued over a Jr HS or HS’ teams desire to win.

I’m not gay or transgender but I am an advocate of teh LGBTQ community and have been for my life. A kid who comes out as a part of LGBTQ community at a young age has their head screwed on straight. Society unscrews it. That’s the problem that needs mending.

In 7th grade I went out for the football team with my two best friends. The coach met us halfway between the back of the school and the field, looked the three of us up and down, pointed at my two friends to join the team and in a condescending manner, told me I was too small to play. I was 12. 

That moment rings clear and true to me. At the time in which children need to be connected and grouped with their peers, I was removed. That goes against child psychology 101. To date, I am only one of three professional athletes that I know of to come out of my district. My district does not deserve any credit. I succeeded in spite of them. 

No child should feel that who they are is what’s stopping them from pursuing their version of happiness which at that age is to be accepted and to be part of their peer group. And no adult should care about what part is between a child’s legs. Those who do are sexualizing the child. Viewing children through the lens of sex, and not as a future productive member of society, is the change that  is needed.

• All works at Observations from the Spectrum written by Dylan Netter
• Observationsfromthespectrum.org
• OFTS.blog 
• On? a third point of view – book of Essays
• Marinehippie.com podcast w/ Docstodden.com – dialogue exploring politics and musings of life 
• Horizoncoaching.org – English Tutor and Guide