Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com on Bsky Profile picture
Inactive act, now on BSKY // Independent journalist. Tips: https://t.co/mkAPnaCA67 // Find on Bluesky: https://t.co/JgJm7momr7

Nov 14, 2023, 8 tweets

1. Transgender people have a biological advantage at... pool?

That seems to be the argument today from those who advocate for laws targeting trans people.

This comes after recent bans on trans women in disc golf, beauty pageants, and chess.

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2. This week, the Daily Mail reported that Alexandra Cunha, a 5th-place pool competitor, was so upset after losing to a trans woman and a policy change that she led a group of athletes to call for their banishment from the sport.

Read my article here:

erininthemorning.com/p/now-trans-wo…

3. “I recently played against a transgender player and was devastated by the loss," she said.

Her statement came after a policy change by the organization to allow trans women to play, after backlash to a ban the organization considered.

4. Cunha's group told The Daily Mail that transgender women might execute a stronger “break” in the game. It's important to note that no studies have been cited to confirm any such advantage for transgender women in pool.

5. Anti-trans activists jumped in to defend her and demean trans people. Anti-trans activist Riley Gaines tweeted a post calling trans women "Trans Identified Males," or "TIMs," a stereotypically masculine name used as a slur towards trans people.

6. Many questioned the narrative and mocked the idea, however. Speak Out Sister, a trans-inclusive feminist group, jokingly remarked: "Guess the cues and balls are heavier than we knew."

7. This is the latest in a series of dubious bans on trans participation.

Other bans have included:
- Chess
- Disc Golf
- Beauty Pageants
- Theatre

9. I will close off by asking you to please consider supporting LGBTQ+ journalism. I can only report on topics that you care about with support from people like you.

Please consider becoming a subscriber to support my work.

erininthemorning.com

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