Thread by @CarilynJohnson

#SaveWomensSports
I have avoided wading in on this topic because I don’t want to cause anyone harm. But, as a former professional athlete, and an attorney who focused on civil rights law, I feel the need to speak out.

I was a competitive swimmer growing up, training up to 6 hours per day. My heroes and role models were Shirley Babashoff, Jill Sterkel, et al. They dominated international swimming - until the 1976 Olympics. At those games, the East German women showed up completely transformed.

Their shoulders were significantly broader, and their entire physique had almost doubled in muscle mass. They absolutely slaughtered every other female swimmer. When the other women cried foul, they were harassed, belittled, and called sore losers.

For decades, they were made to feel ashamed for having seen the situation as unfair. Many of them never competed again, ending some very amazing careers prematurely.

Decades later, after years and years of “talk” that the East German team had clearly been doping, all the women were vindicated. But it was too little, too late. They are now seen as heroic figures, but to what end? A couple of documentaries?

As a young female swimmer, it had a HUGE impact. Why compete when it clearly would be impossible to do so against such a force. So many young girls I knew just quit swimming. There was a lull in US swimming for many years after.

People think it doesn’t matter, but it does. It matters to the people who it directly impacts, and in this scenario, it is any girl/woman who competes with the body she was born with.

I support every human’s right to identify as they wish. We are autonomous beings. But just like free speech is not absolute (line is drawn when your speech harms others - shouting fire in a crowded theater, defamation, etc.), one’s personal choices should not be amplified at the

expense of an entire segment of the population.

I was lucky that I was able to end up as a professional runner as an adult. Many girls/women never get a “second chance”. Title IX was created to protect girls and young women in sports, and allow them the fair opportunity to compete in a space

separate from boys and men who have significant physical advantages. I’m speaking up now to support young women and girls who may not go get a chance at all unless we #SaveWomensSports

Please know that I am aware of the typos, etc., in my tweet thread, but since Twitter doesn’t allow editing without deleting and reposting, I’m leaving it as is (if you were following in real time, you saw what a hard time I had just figuring out how to post a thread 😂😂).

Thank you to everyone who responded. It appears I have been “shadow banned” for sharing my experience. Two people called me a bigot & now my posts won’t show up, & I can’t see topics related to #SaveWomensSports. Hope to have it resolved soon since @elonmusk supports Free Speech.