Lia A Grim Reaper of Women’s Sports Or Barrier Breaker?

When trans athlete Lia Thomas won NCAA swim final some said it spelled “the death of women’s sports” while others cited it as proof USA Swimming’s tougher inclusion policies were needed. Meanwhile, admirers hailed Lia for breaking barriers, demanded more of same. So, where's the "science"?

Are we all kidding ourselves? The angst over what’s “fair” ain’t going away anytime soon as most of the commentary sounds more like conflict avoidance or outright denial of realities than solutions, at least, as long as surgical, hormonal and/or drug therapy as well as psychological preference & biological markers are involved. Just look at the all-sport drug testing mess that muddles along in a far less complicated context. Fla’s Gov DeSantis may have captured the confusion, if indelicately, in introducing a resolution naming Thomas’ runner up in that swimming national title “the winner”, alleging the Olympic medalist & Fla resident attending school in Va was ripped off by the NCAA’s avoidable “fraud on the public”.

Is part of the problem that everyone’s wishing for an easy way out? But, is there one? Does the “science” help or hurt clarify things as it arguably has/has not in other contexts in past controversies (e.g., beginning of life, population Armageddon, virus pandemics, environmental challenges, etc.)? Talk about another Gordian Knot trying to hold up our shorts(ightedness)?

Davd Soul