“Can we finally stop talking about trans sports?” read the headline in the February 11, 2025, Los Angeles Times.Of course this was followed by a column talking about — you guessed it — trans sports.So the answer is no, we have to keep talking about trans sports for the same reason that people keep climbing mountains: because they are there.
Four years ago I ended my ADR column on trans sports by positing that “the case of transgender female athletes may pose one of the ultimate tests for diversity advocates because it requires the difficult weighing of competing legitimate equity concerns, with no simple win-win solution in sight.”I illustrated that conclusion by positing two hypothetical situations.
Carlos:Hi, Stephenson.Thanks for taking the time to discuss your pioneering transgender research.It certainly provides an illuminating perspective that goes well beyond the media fixation on bathrooms, sports, and grooming.How did this fascinating research journey begin?
Stephenson:Those are still important topics, but my interest in post-mortem identities began before graduate school when I attended several memorials for trans people.I could not help but notice the arbitrary way in which the deceased’s gender identity was assigned.Usually these memorials reflected their family’s preferences rather than the way the deceased would have defined themselves. Then in graduate school I encountered the concept of end-of-life (EOL) communication. I concluded that end-of-life communication intersected with the use of public memorial expressions, such as gravestones, obituaries, and funerals.
“… let me remind you: bigotry against minority groups based on sexual orientation or gender identity, such as the trans community, is a way fascism takes root.” ~ by Robert Reich,The Guardian 4/30/23
Hirschfeld would have been delighted by the progress
As a pioneer in Weimar Berlin, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld explored the limits of what he then referred to as transsexuality. His work documented substantial progress in the identification of diversity of behaviors among Trans people. His efforts to enhance Trans’ social acceptability were commendable and well-accepted. His Institut fuer Sexual Wissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Research) succeeded in initiating viable sex-change strategies and offered a range of comprehensive educational and therapeutic services to their patients. This enlightened approach to a taboo topic made historic progress in 1920s Berlin. Nazi exclusionary edicts abruptly terminated it, with tragic conclusion.
The theme for this month’s edition: what gender related issues should be addressed and how can they evolve productively?Let’s up the ante.What gender related issues must be addressed?Here’s one: transgender women in sports.
Oh that all equity conflicts could be resolved simply by mouthing diversity clichés.Not this one.With regard to this perplexing issue, two pro-diversity camps have gone to war.Probable allies on most equity concerns, these two camps have dug in their heels, often engaging in hyper-accusatory rhetoric in what has become known as the TERF wars.
TERF stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminists.That term is used derogatorily by trans activists when referring to feminists who are perceived as not fully and unconditionally accepting trans women into their ranks.Targets include TERF lesbians, revealing an LGBTQ split over this issue.Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 19: The Gendered Sports Dilemma – by Carlos E. Cortés→
As my 65th birthday approached my transgender personality had become desperate and demanded attention. Decades of self-deception did not bury my feminine self. She had in fact grown, despite isolation, neglect, and denial. I discovered a private dressing room, a place to give her a chance to breathe. I sought the aid of a therapist. Though I believed that I already had the answer, I asked whether I was, in her professional opinion, truly a transgender person. A dozen sessions later she affirmed my suspicion. Indeed I was transgender.
For decades my family had attended an orthodox synagogue. It was an exercise in cognitive dissonance for my hidden identity. Leviticus was at best conflicted about gender. I saw no possibility for reconciliation for Transgender vs. Judaism. Shortly after my therapist confirmed my identity, I heard breakingtransgender news that stole my attention.
At the tender age of 70, I have come out to the world as a transgender woman. Plagued by intractable anxiety and preoccupied with all things feminine I was surprised by the inescapableintersectionality conferred upon me involuntarily – that not only am I transgender, but I am a transgender Jew.
Judaism always seemed the right fit for me. Its implicit refutation of our dominant theology appealed to me. Personified by modern folk heroes like Einstein, Dylan (Zimmerman), and Koufax, it seduced me with inspiration. With teleological certitude Jewish Messianism offers the promise of a just revolution in our time and a profound endorsement of the counter-cultural impulse. It encouraged our rage against Nazis. It made us as one with all of America’s rejected minorities from the original Native Americans to the most recently-arrived Syrian refugees.
I embrace this rare classification with enthusiasm. I’ve discovered that transgender Jewry features an elite element that could not possibly include me. Or could it?
