CDs, MTFs, FTMs and Pro Sports

[Desirae]

I read a thread yesterday started by Michelle789, "Transphobia: Always was, And Always Will Be", and I responded with my take on the OP's premise, albeit my take was a little on the negative side. Anyways, later, while watching a tennis match, I started thinking about "transphobia" in the pro sporting world. I started wondering if there would ever be an "open" CD, say, on the tennis court? I mean a male CD in a tennis "dress" playing against another male? Or, possibly, even a MTF transsexual playing pro tennis against another woman? It doesn't have to be confined to a tennis court, either. How about professional swimming? Will we ever see a male CD in a one piece competing against another guy in a swim relay? How about a FTM transsexual competing in a relay swim against another guy? How about at one of the Olympics?

I know there have been a few, a very few, instances of transsexuals making news in pro sports over the past several years. I think there may have been a Russian who was questioned about her birth gender in some sport. I can't remember what it was. I think there was another story about a MTF transsexual who was questioned about her birth gender not that long ago. I think she was a runner. I KNOW I have NEVER heard of a CD playing a sport in the dress of her/his emulated gender.

Do you ever think that we will get to the point where we will see "openly CD" players on any court, or track, or field in pro sports? And I'm not talking about Novak Djokovic doing a Maria Sharapova impersonation on the tennis court. I'm talking legitimately. In ANY sport.

As far as seeing "known" MTFs or FTMs transsexuals competing in pro sports, I understand that this would be more complicated. It would be more complicated (mostly for MTFs) because you would have "birth" males playing against ciswomen. But still, do you think that day will ever come? I don't think cismales would be as "concerned" (for lack of a better word) playing against someone who was born female but transitioned to male. I could be wrong about that. But, I do think that a lot of pro female athletes would be concerned about having to compete against a transitioned MTF transsexual.

I don't even think the rules makers know how to deal with this, surely not now, anyway. I think the whole thing would bring about a LOT of controversy. Heck, we're just at the infant stages of having an out gay pro football player.

Just curios as to everyone's thoughts. Sort of trying to put a measure out there of where WE are and how far there still is to go.

[Jaylyn]

With all the rule changes that would come with so many variables. I say just stay with the basics of male against male but let them wear what they want. Female against female but let them wear what they want. I already bowl in a league were the ladies and men compete as team mates and also against one another.

[Kate Simmons]

I'm not sure just how many TG or CD folks are or would be interested in sports competitions. One way to find out for sure would be to become part of the Vanguard for such stuff. :)

[Allisa]

I don't know how old you are but there was a MTF transexual her name was Renee Richards and she played pro tennis on the womans tour and all knew it,there was quite a stir but she was allowed to play. I believe she was the first transsexual in the public eye on such a large scale, I may be wrong.

[Zylia]

Concerning cross-dressing and (pro) sports, in many sports there's a delicate balance between performance/functionality and certain traditions/rules. Skirts in sports like tennis and field hockey are mostly ornamental and some federations or tournaments have something of a dress code: Wimbledon is an infamous example of a (tennis) tournament with a strict dress code. In most cases though sports apparel is made with the athlete's body in mind and considering the male and female body are not made the same there's a big chance you would be at a disadvantage if you wear women's apparel as a guy. Certain 'female' styles could be used for male gear of course, but that goes against the concept of cross-dressing. Unless manskirts go mainstream or someone finds out that skirts improve your performance, I don't expect to see many guys in skirts on the courts any time soon.

I am kind of on the fence about transsexual people in sports. I believe that sports in general is the one place where sex segregation is fully justified and transgender athletes just might defeat the purpose of that segregation. Still, while a MTF transgender athlete might have a certain advantage over her "GG" sisters in some sports, some athletes have certain natural advantages anyway because that's the way they're born. Not all athletes are created equally: some are born with the 'birth defect' we call transgenderism, some are born with greater physical capabilities. Not all little girls have the potential to become Serena Williams physically speaking, but you're not going to ban Serena Williams for that.

[DonnaT]

I can find an image of him, but there is/was a male boxer who would wear a skirt in the ring.

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o Desirae, Fallon Fox is a MTF professional MMA fighter. Somewhat recently, there was a huge controversy over her fighting in the female devision. Her being born Male, having a male bone structure, and muscle mass, etc. There are several stories about her on the web.
Much Love,
Kristyn

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Desarie, I think that if they did that they would just be making fun of us.

[Karren J]

If I could play tennis I'd be all over those little skirts!

[Desirae]

Feminin Allisa................I don't remember Renee Richards. I'm 48. It would seem that the governing body of pro tennis would be the ones who would have a problem with that. I'll have to check into that one. It seems like the women would have made a stink about that to the WTA. Maybe I'm wrong.

Zylia......I don''t know. As short as the skirts are now, I don't really see an disadvantage for a guy should "she" decide to wear one and embrace their CDing. I'm not 100% sure where I stand on transsexuals in sports, either. I am 100% sure, though, that this is going to have to be worked out eventually. Yes, Serena Williams has great advantages in size and strength over her compatriots, but, in the end, she is still a GG with XX chromosomes.

Kate Simmons said she wasn't sure how many CD or TG folks would be interested in sports competitions. I would have to say that the percentage of CD or TG fold interested in sports would be about that same percentage wise as any other segment of CDs and TGs in the population. Maybe they just don't pursue it now because there is no avenue for them to pursue it now. The pathway and the acceptance is not there so they have no choice other than to just abandon their desire to play pro sports. I'm sure there are plenty of CDs and TGs already playing sports, but they can't come out because of public perception of "what an athlete should be". The masses may have accepted gay athletes (not really, maybe only partially, and really only lesbians since out gay males in pro sports hasn't been around very long), but accepting CDs and TGs is an ENTIRELY other matter, IMHO. Maybe there is a CD who would love nothing more than to be able to wear a tennis dress, or a golf skirt, but can't because of the negativity that would surround such a decision?

Hey Hell On Wheels.................I did not know that, probably because I don't follow MMA fighting. I bet there was and IS a lot of controversy over that. Like I said, I'm very much on the fence about it. I can see how it would be very unfair for the ciswomen.

DonnaT..............I'm not sure who you are referring to. I kind of remember a fighter who wore some kind of funky shorts, but I don't think they were a skirt. They looked like a skirt, though. They were just funky because that was sort of his image. I'm sure that's not who you're talking about though.

Hey Blue Orchid..............I think "they" already make fun of us.

kdraper45...........there's no requirement of actually playing tennis in order to wear those cute skirts, at least not of which I am aware.


I guess the reason I started this thread was to highlight, maybe even convince myself, just how far there is yet to go. Truthfully, I don't see true equality, full acceptance, whatever you want to call it, even being achieved 100 years from now, if ever. It's just downright depressing. I think the road for TG folks is WAAAAAY longer, and steeper, and slippery-er, has more potholes and washouts than ANY OTHER DISCRIMINATED AGAINST GROUP has EVER had to travel. That's just how I feel. There's just something "different" about this struggle compared to what women, blacks, gays had to go through or are going through. And I'm NOT diminishing any of these groups' struggles. I'm just saying........ I think there's a real possibility that we may never get there. It may just be me but it seems like our struggle has some kind of "stench" (for lack of a better word) built into it that all the other struggles did not. Yeah, I know, I'm pessimistic. Sorry for that. But thanks for the great comments.

edit......something else I just thought about. If "success" is ever actually achieved by people within the TG spectrum, how will we know? By success I mean equality, acceptance, etc, by the masses. Will there be some defining moment? Will it be when a trans president is elected? Will it be when there are no more murders or assaults of TGs? How will we recognize that the struggle has ended and we have arrived?

Here's the link to the Wikipedia Renee Richards story. Very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Richards

[Beverley Sims]

I think there is a long way to go,it is simplistic to think that there will be overall acceptance in the near future.
Many rules and adjustments have to me altered and this will be a slow process.

[Vickie_CDTV]

Renee Richards did play GGs in professional tennis back in the 70s, after she was outed by reporters.

There is a kickboxer who comes to the ring dressed as his favorite female anime characters, with a wig and dress and such. I think I heard him say it really annoyed his opponents. (He is cisgender otherwise, just likes to dress up.)

There is also a M2F TS MMA or kickboxer who is a TS and fights men, after winning gives her opponent a kiss on the cheek.

[Marcelle]

Hell-o Desirae, Fallon Fox is a MTF professional MMA fighter. Somewhat recently, there was a huge controversy over her fighting in the female devision. Her being born Male, having a male bone structure, and muscle mass, etc. There are several stories about her on the web.
Much Love,
Kristyn

Hah . . . Kristyn beat me to the punch . . . no pun intended :)

Hugs

Isha