The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) said in an updated policy document: “For a transgender athlete to compete in the sport of powerlifting at any level, he/she must declare before competing that he/she is a transgender athlete. If an athlete fails to declare that he/she is a transgender and competes that violation leads to Disqualification of the result obtained in that Competition with all resulting Consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.”
This is being touted as a win for women’s sports. It’s not.
The change in policy was in response to Anne Andres—a trans-identifying man who openly mocks the women against whom he competes—blowing out his competition in Canada last weekend. Anne Andres, who currently holds multiple powerlifting records in the women’s division, set an all-time powerlifting record at the 2023 Western Canadian Championship, hosted by the Canadian Powerlifting Union. The total weight lifted in squat, bench, and deadlift resulted in a final score for Andres of 597.5 kilograms, which was over 200 kilograms more than the closest competitor, SuJan Gill, who finished at 387.5 kilograms.
This isn’t fair. It denies science. It tramples women’s rights. It has to change.
Last month, following other organizations previously (e.g., World Aquatics, World Athletics), a cycling race organization (Union Cycliste Internationale) changed its rules to state that individuals who were born female are only allowed to compete in the women’s category (see The Casual Use of Propagandistic Language Surrounding Sex and Gender). Even the International Chess Federation recently announced a ban on transgender women competing in the female category of the competition (to which Yosha Iglesias, a trans-identifying man, responded ridiculously: “If you want to help women in chess, fight sexist and sexual violence, give women in chess more visibility and more money, Don’t use trans women players as scapegoats. We contribute to the development of women in chess. We are women in chess.”)
But the IPF did not follow suit. Instead, that organization chose to deny the intrinsic difference between genotypes and instituted a rule that does nothing to prevent the violation of women’s sex-based rights. The updated IPF policy document states that trans gender athletes must abide by specific testosterone levels. “The athlete must demonstrate that her total testosterone level in serum has been equal or below 2.4 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) and/or free testosterone equal or below 0.433 nmol/dL (or at or below the upper limit of normal of a particular laboratory reference) for at least 12 months prior to her first competition.” In other words, men can compete against women in powerlifting as long as they take hormones and steroids to artificially reduce their testosterone levels while allowing all the other physical differences remain in place. That’s right, if they dope they can compete.
Men are not women. Men cannot be women. Men have no place in women’s sports. Full stop. Testosterone production is irrelevant. Any organization that moves to address this problem that does not systematically ban men from competing in women’s sports is not addressing the problem. They are participating in a lie.
I was shocked to see Andres’ competitors applauding his ascent to the highest stage during the award of medals. Why do the women celebrate such a thing? Why aren’t they objecting to it instead? Are this many women so brainwashed as to believe a man can be a woman and compete in a female athletic event? Or are they afraid of what will happen to them if they resist the misogynistic project to destroy women’s sports and cancel women’s rights? Is that why so many people are so silent? They’re afraid?
Yes, that must be the case for many people. Because it cannot be that everybody who is silent thinks this is okay. I refuse to believe that that many people could be that confused about objective reality. The gender binary is as solid a fact as gravity. This is to say that the gender binary is among the most fundamental truths of the universe. Indeed, people are afraid. And if they’re afraid to speak the truth about something as fundamental as the gender binary, then what other truths are they afraid to speak up about?
When so many people are afraid to speak the truth, then we know that freedom is not what it should be. The only way to turn back from the journey to totalitarianism is to resist the big lies the totalitarians tell us. I am not trying to shame those who are afraid. I get it. I have been there. But I can’t be there anymore. What one finds living in truth is a very real peace with self. To live a lie is to live in conflict with self. It’s not a good place to be. It’s certainly not good for the girls and women in our lives. By an ally. Stand up for girls and women.
freedom and reason 