Member-only story
Opinion
Should Transgender Women Compete in Women’s Sports?
We can’t always do what we want
Sometimes we can’t have something we want. Sometimes we have to make a choice between two things we want because we can have one but not both.
Sometimes what we can have is restricted by biology.
When I was in school, my roommate wanted to be a flight attendant. She worked hard to achieve her goal and she would have been great at the job — but her uncorrected vision was too poor. She didn’t meet the physical qualifications.
While I was never seriously interested in a flight attendant career, I wouldn’t have qualified, either, because I’m not tall enough.
Another example: I don’t know what the rules are now, but FedEx used to require that delivery drivers be able to lift 70 pounds. If you could only carry 65 pounds, you couldn’t be a FedEx driver.
The point is: Sometimes our physical characteristics — our biology — prevent us from doing something we’d like to do.
That’s life in the real world.
If you’re a transgender woman (born a male and either transitioned to or identify as female), there are some things you won’t be able to do by virtue of your physical…
