I think the focus on athletics is entirely misplaced and unnecessary; both with regard to trans people and also performance drugs. For some reason I have simply never fathomed, we seem to assign some sort of unique and misplaced nobility to “athletes” that we don’t expect out of other entertainers. And yes, that’s all that they really are: entertainers. Their job is not to put the ball or puck in the end zone, goal, or basket; nor is it to ride their bike fastest across France or to swim a better butterfly. Their job is to put butts in the stadiums and eyeballs on the televisions, period. And it’s not like we drug test and take away Lady Gaga’s Grammy for testing positive for pot (which she has said helps her creativity), or take away Elliott Page’s Oscar for testing for the “wrong” hormones, nor do we suspend Keith Richards from the next half-dozen Rolling Stones concerts for testing positive for Keith Richards.
So far as I’m concerned; the same goes for trans and drug-using athletes. If a trans woman plays a better game of soccer or if a trans man does a better gymnastics routine due to their pre-trans development or hormone levels or if Lance Armstrong juices to ride faster or if a special suit helps Michael Phelps swim faster. It’s all the same and all A-OK to me. It’s all just show business. And if any of them put on a better show, all is fair and more power to them. And the only other people who have a legitimate say would be their doctors.
I suppose my perspective is different because lifting is my life, and I would love for anyone who wants to to be able to take it seriously, and that's not really possible for most trans people. I don't see sports as entertainment, but that's because I actually partake, unlike your average couch potato NFL fan, I see them as a way of life. To me, developing the knowledge,discipline, confidence, and inner strength it takes to manifest your full potential is a noble, individualistic pursuit. Once upon a time I had back problems so severe I couldn't roll over in bed... 5 years later I deadlifted over 500lbs. It's not for entertainment, at least for me. Like, if all you had ever seen was porn, and never had a sexual relationship, you'd see sex as entertainment, instead of a way to connect intimately, mature, create a life, etc.
I dont see atheletes as nobility, quite the opposite, most of the famous ones are terrible people. But I see physical fitness as a basic human need that the vast majority of the earth neglects, and it makes me sad.
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