In a conversation about Thomas, one person said to me--it's just sport, and sport is corrupt anyway. I am not someone who is into sports generally myself. But this issue hits me hard. I was a competitive swimmer when I was in high school. A B grade swimmer, never someone who would make a college team. But somewhere in my basement I still have the one blue ribbon that I earned for the 50 yard backstroke. Why do I remember? Why does it matter? I knew I wasn't ever going to be a serious swimmer or an elite athlete. But it felt good to train, try my best, stretch the limits of my own body and yes, to try to win. I wouldn't have even stayed on the team if boys had been allowed to swim with us. So this is not just about the elite, it is about all girls and the joy in the movement of our bodies.
And of course, the issue is not really "women's sports." This is just one horrific lens. It's the overall degradation of women, the silencing of women, the gaslighting of women, the violation of women's boundaries. As she says:
"I still can't believe I had to tell my adult-age daughter. “You always have a choice about whether you undress in front of a man.” What messages that these girls have been receiving this year. How many of the other girls were feeling this? My heart was ripped apart. Damage far greater than the sports arena was now apparent to me."
Can people please share this with people like Stella Creasy and ask them why they support this?
In a conversation about Thomas, one person said to me--it's just sport, and sport is corrupt anyway. I am not someone who is into sports generally myself. But this issue hits me hard. I was a competitive swimmer when I was in high school. A B grade swimmer, never someone who would make a college team. But somewhere in my basement I still have the one blue ribbon that I earned for the 50 yard backstroke. Why do I remember? Why does it matter? I knew I wasn't ever going to be a serious swimmer or an elite athlete. But it felt good to train, try my best, stretch the limits of my own body and yes, to try to win. I wouldn't have even stayed on the team if boys had been allowed to swim with us. So this is not just about the elite, it is about all girls and the joy in the movement of our bodies.
And of course, the issue is not really "women's sports." This is just one horrific lens. It's the overall degradation of women, the silencing of women, the gaslighting of women, the violation of women's boundaries. As she says:
"I still can't believe I had to tell my adult-age daughter. “You always have a choice about whether you undress in front of a man.” What messages that these girls have been receiving this year. How many of the other girls were feeling this? My heart was ripped apart. Damage far greater than the sports arena was now apparent to me."