fatguyinalittlecoat said:
I just asked my kid about it about an hour ago. He's trans but he hasn't played organized sports since 8th grade so this doesn't really impact him directly. Anyway, he had some interesting things to say but a lot of it was similar to the things I've said so I won't bother repeating it.
He did mention one story that seems worth repeating here about this guy:
Mack Beggs. He was assigned female at birth but transitioned. His sport was wrestling. He wanted to wrestle against other boys but Texas state rules prohibited it. So he won the Texas high school girls wrestling championship twice and was undefeated for like two years. And was booed by opposing teams. That doesn't sound so great.
I've read just about all of your posts here.... I'll be honest. I don't know what to think about this topic specifically anymore. Not because I am incapable of forming an opinion (we all know that isn't my problem) but because I have tried to do my best in this past year to see the world through my kids' eyes. I can handle what this world has become because of the pandemic and I can see the issues that I deal with and I have the ability to handle them - in good ways and bad.
But they still don't. For any number of reasons that the are the fault of me, my wife, fate and circumstances. But I still try to figure it out as best I can. And ultimately, where I keep going back to on this specific topic is this - I don't know the right answer. I really don't. But I know that if it were my kid, I'm moving heaven and earth to allow them the ability to express themselves and know that they are worth more than any label of any kind. And I also know that isn't a great way to decide every issue, but on this one I think I'm ok saying do what we have to do, in each unique circumstance, to make sure that children know that they are valued not because of anything a government or city say but because they are human (and I would add God's creation, but I know you won't go there).
Let them play where they want. Ultimately, I do disagree with a point made here on what youth sports is. Youth sports should be nothing more than another learning tool for children so that they are exposed to teamwork, hard work, preparation, decision making, leadership, empathy, healthy competition, the value of other people, and the worth of themselves. I'm not a trophy for everyone guy and likely never will be, but every kid that tries out, that makes a team, that practices, that plays, that scores, that defends, that wins and that loses does something extraordinary. They do something more than themselves. We should always find a way to honor and encourage that.
Maybe I'm just getting old.
