With 228 Democrats and eight Republicans voting in favor of as opposed to the 173 Republicans who voted against, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include gender identity as a protected class. This new bill is called the Equality Act.
Now, while the Democrats pushed this bill through the House, the U.S. Senate, controlled by Republicans, will never pass this bill, and even if they did, the president would never sign it. It would take a two/thirds majority to overturn a presidential veto, so this particular bill will not become law. At least not yet.
I brought up this topic earlier this summer and I really thought it wouldn't come up for a vote or pass this summer. Boy, was I wrong. If Democrats gain control of the Senate after 2020 and if the Democrats regain the White House, this bill will actually become the law of the land in 2021.
Abolishing Title IX
What does it mean? It would mean that any boy who decides that he is REALLY a girl will be allowed to compete with the girls in athletics. This bill effectively abolishes Title IX. During the current voting, an amendment to this Equality Act bill was proposed to protect the provisions of the Title IX legislation that was passed 50 years ago to equalize athletic opportunities among boys and girls. Democrats rejected the amendment which tips their hand at their desire to do away with legislation that has been the greatest force to equalize opportunities for every American female athlete in this country.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D) New York, remarked that the new legislation would not harm girls in the slightest. However, in Connecticut, a lawsuit has been filed by a group of female high school athletes who have been victimized by boys who decided they were girls and became the best "girl" athletes in the state. Last month, Cece Telfer easily won national NCAA track and field titles in Division II after competing as a male up until his/her senior year. Telfer went from being a so so college runner as a man, to a lauded and heralded national champion as a woman. Telfer who is over 6 feet tall, remarked that his/her height was a disadvantage so it balanced out his/her male physicality. No, he/she didn't laugh when he said it.
The ERA amendment, which was a hot topic a few years ago, would have already abolished girls sports. There are lot of folks who think that there should be no differences recognized between men and women. To their way of thinking, there should not be girls basketball and boys basketball, but only basketball.
There are male athletes who may decide that if they can't make it as a male, then why not try being female. When a school awards scholarships to the best athletes, and they contact a 6'5" power forward male who wants to compete as a girl, they can sign him up for the girls program.
8 Ladies Dunking
One pro transgender advocate tried to argue that there wasn't that much difference in girls basketball players as opposed to boy basketball players. To debunk that theory, fans may note that over the past few dozen years, there have only been eight collegiate women to dunk in a basketball game. There are literally and hundreds and hundreds of male basketball players in the NCAA who can replicate that feat.
I believe that God made male and female. The past few decades have seen a terrific rise in mental illness and dysfunction in the country, as well as a rise in the number people who know how to game the system.
I think the solution lies in developing competition among those males who wish to be females. They could add to their numbers the girls who wish to be males. it would be worth noting that there are no female athletes who think that they are males who are clamoring to compete with the males.
Consolation Programs
I would hate to see girls sports turn into consolation programs for boys who couldn't succeed competing with their own gender.
America is the land of freedom and liberty, and I believe that anyone should be allowed to be whatever they want to be. However, when their desires unfairly reduce opportunities for others, their freedoms as they wish to practice it, reduces the freedoms of others.
If this bill becomes law someday, and America becomes a place where you can assume any identity you wish, I think I may identify as one of Sam Walton's heirs. I wonder what judge award me billions of dollars.
The bottom line of sporting events is that the playing field must be level. No class of group of participants should be given favored status over other ones. Allowing men to enter women sporting events will lead to the eradication of women in women's sports.
•••
Sports Editor's note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times of Northeast Benton County published in Pea Ridge. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports on 07/10/2019