A Washington Post-University of Maryland survey released on Tuesday has revealed the shocking fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans don’t make a habit of denying reality.
Respondents were asked whether they think “transgender women and girls should or should not be allowed to compete in sports with other women and girls at each of the following levels.”
Fifty-eight percent said transgender women should be barred from college and professional sports. Fifty-five percent of respondents said it shouldn’t be allowed in high school sports, compared to 30% who said it should, and 49% said it shouldn’t be allowed in youth sports, compared to 33% who said it should.
Also, 68% of respondents said that if transgender girls are allowed to compete against biological girls in youth sports, “transgender girls would have a competitive advantage over other girls.”
Duh.
Respondents were also asked whether they were concerned that not allowing transgender girls to compete with other girls in youth sports would negatively impact the “mental health of transgender girls.” Fifty-two percent said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned, while 48% said they were “not too” or “not at all” concerned.
The survey also found that 40 percent of Americans say greater social acceptance of transgender people is “good for society,” while 25 percent say it is “bad for society,” and another 35 percent say it is neither.
Related: Georgia High School Association Weighs in on Transgender Athletes
Sometimes, we lose sight of what’s important in these debates. Will a transgender child’s mental health be impacted more by being denied the opportunity to compete against girls or by parents, health professionals, and transgender advocates pushing them to “transition” to another sex?
The Washington Post tries to make the point that the numbers under discussion are extremely small, implying that Republican legislators preventing transgendered individuals from competing with young women athletes are making a mountain out of a molehill.
The issue has become politicized despite the small share of people who identify as transgender and the limited number of specific situations in which participation has raised concerns.
A Pew Research Center poll released last Tuesday found that 0.6 percent of Americans identify as transgender, but among people age 18 to 29, the share rose to 2 percent. An additional 1 percent of Americans said they are nonbinary — neither a man nor a woman, or not strictly one or the other — a share thatrose to 3 percent of people 18 to 29.
It’s not fair at any level, at any time, regardless of the numbers involved. It’s good that society is becoming more tolerant of people who believe themselves to be different, but there has to be a line in the sand that shouldn’t be crossed — especially when dubious assumptions based on false assertions are used to justify it.
Pretending that trans women are no different than biological women is a political construct, not related to science or health. Trans advocates believe if they wish hard enough, reality will be turned on its head and a magical transformation will occur.
But you can’t click your heels together three times and alter reality. The sooner trans advocates accept that basic fact of human existence, the better off we’ll all be.
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