Fallacies in stories about trans athletes

Just like last week, I started out thinking I was going to be writing about one thing and ended up writing about another. I saw a headline pop up on my "new tab" home screen about a female Olympian supporting ICE. So I figured I'd be writing about that and prepared myself to be very angry. But while it did make me angry, the article actually did not contain any fallacies related to the athlete's support for seemingly all of the current administration's policies and behaviors -- that is, until it got to her opposition for transgender women competing in athletic events with other women. That's when the author of the article said this:

 

This is the bandwagon fallacy. Whether or not most Americans are currently against trans athletes is irrelevant to the debate about whether whatever advantages trans athletes may (or may not) have should exclude them from participation in sports. 

I also need to share this "life hack" that was at the bottom of that particular article, which is also irrelevant, but I couldn't stop laughing at it. 


Anyway ... I looked up recent news on the topic and found a couple of letters to the editor from the LA Times, both of which contain fallacies. 

The author of the first one, who supports trans athletes, speaks about the California parents who are (with the support of the current justice department) suing school officials in California in order to exclude trans girls and young women from competing with other girls and young women. 

 

I think accusing the parents of transphobia is pretty justified, given the lengths they're going to. But accusing them of misogyny feels like an ad-hominem attack. 

The author of the other letter to the editor opposes trans athletes being able to compete, and says:

 

I think this is both a straw man and a red herring, because nobody is suggesting that five year olds should compete against high school students, and it's not even close to a fair comparison. 

In case anyone is curious, the truth (based on existing research) appears to be that transgender girls and women do have some size and strength advantages on average, but that hormone therapy can lead to "disadvantages in terms of speed, recovery and endurance." 

Whether these difference are grounds enough to exclude trans girls and women from sports might end up being the bigger question. 


 

 

 

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