A recent petition at Change.org asks the International Olympic Committee to revoke Caitlyn Jenner’s gold medals, arguing that she didn’t qualify to compete as a man if she identified as a woman.
Of course Raw Story mocks the petition, but I think a real issue is being raised here: What makes one male or female?
- external sexual characteristics
- chromosomes
- self-identification
- something else
If self-identification is the standard and Jenner always identified as a woman, shouldn’t she have to give the medals back?
If self-identification is the standard, wasn’t Mike Huckabee right when he said boys could claim to be transwomen and go into the girls’ locker rooms?
If chromosomes are the standard, what right did Renee Clark have to compete against women in tennis?
If external sexual characteristics are the standard, then it would be clear that people who look like women because of androgen insensitivity (in spite of being genetically male), really are women.
In the face of all this confusion, the Bitemaster sets forth his progressive proposal: get rid of gender distinctions altogether.
- No more women’s and men’s sports — players would be selected solely on merit
- No more “marriage is between a man and a woman” — it would be between any two consenting adults
- No more “women get paid less than men” — people get paid what they’re worth in the free market
- No more Men’s and Women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, or changing rooms — everything would be unisex
- No more “women’s clothing stores” — everyone would be free to buy a dress if they like and dresses would be available in tall sizes with broad shoulders as well as shorter sizes with more room across the chest and hips.
It will take some getting used to, but change is never easy.
Source: Petition seeks to strip Caitlyn Jenner of Olympic medal
