Some of this is true, most of it is plain muddle-headed thinking. True, males and females are different. Indeed, within males and females there are different levels of skills and body builds. To make a blunt assumption, as Rep. Higgins has, that all males are by nature physically superior to women is simply incredibly wrong and, well, just plain blind. He almost seems to be implying that some male athletes have cut of their penises and have had vaginas surgically implanted along with taking hormones so that they can grow breasts -- all so they can beat girls in sports! Yikes! I can't think of a jock who gave up his sex life as a man in order to excel in girl sports and, perhaps, even receive a scholarship in a sport. Is that what Rep. Higgins is saying? I have a nephew who went from being male to female and, like many others in that boat, before the transfer was a bit on the effeminate side. Like homosexuality, this isn't anything he chose. And, like nearly all effeminate men, my nephew has never been interested in sports. So why the big stink!? Are there so few issues in this country, and within Virginia, that our legislators have time to spend on an issue as meaningless as this?
I could not agree more that protecting girls in their sports so that they compete fairly is a form of justice. In this case, however I fear you are creating a danger that really is not there. Girls teams are not being overwhelmed by a hoard of boys, pretending to be girls. There are an extremely rare and few number of transgender girls that. That is to say persons who were female, born with male genitalia. That’s a simple minded way of stating a very complex matter. So don’t pick on it. The point is there are very very few. They are not an invasion. I do not know anything about transgender youth and have some apprehension about. Permitting therapy at too early of an age. However, I do know a number of transgender adults. None of the persons who are now fully female are particularly interested in athletics. They are just ordinary women who want to be ordinary women. The same is true for the several males who were born with female genitalia. They have turned out to be ordinary people whose lives have been made a lot happier because who they are and who they appear to be are the same. History is full of stories about transgender persons going back many thousands of years. Only recently has medical science permitted these very few persons to. Resolve the conflict of being one thing, but looking like another. It’s a complicated, expensive, time consuming, and emotionally demanding process. Nobody does it just for fun or to play on the other team. Nobody goes through it to act out sexual perversions. I can say this as the father of three daughters, all involved in athletics, and the grandfather of three granddaughters, all involved in athletics I am grateful for all the laws and rules that make it possible for them to compete fairly against others of their age and weight. Perhaps they will someday encounter a transgender athlete competing against them. It does happen. But it’s unlikely. Yes, by all means keep things fair. It has only just. but please don’t pick on a tiny little minority. Making them out to be some sort of moral enemy. That is not fair or just either.
Just because it only happens infrequently or because people’s intentions are not bad doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter. It does matter and especially to the unlucky girl who happens to be competing with a boy.
Thank you for well stated position on this, Mr. Higgins. I don’t live in your district nor do I know much about your other views, but you are absolutely correct on this.
If what you want is a "level playing field" then what you need to legislate is mandating that all coaches have the same level of training themselves, that all athletes have the same practice facilities and time to utilize them, that all parents/guardians have the funds for the extra travel costs and fees, that all children start playing their chosen sport at the same age and are given the same nutritional counseling as all others they will face in competition. Oh and also that everyone in each sport have the same exact muscle mass and height.
This is exhausting. It’s a handful of kids in the entire Commonwealth. Both of my daughters play sports year-round, and they have yet to encounter a trans child on the field.
Very proud of the great work of my delegate, Geary Higgins. He also deserves plaudits for trying to make James Madison's former home, Oak Hill, south of Leesburg, into a state park. Democrats said no, and I'm at a loss to understand why.
Other than this opinion piece by Rep. Higgins, I've never so much as heard of the guy, so I can't comment on his past legislative work. But I very much like the idea that James Madison's former home, Oak Hill, should be preserved (whether as a state park or a state monument or something else, well, I'm not well enough versed to know of the costs and responsibilities of each), and I'd applaud Rep. Higgins working for some sort of preservation. I don't know of efforts to block this from happening, but I would say shame! to any Virginia legislator who would get in the way of not making some sort of preservation happen to a site of not only a famous Virginian, but a famous American.
Some of this is true, most of it is plain muddle-headed thinking. True, males and females are different. Indeed, within males and females there are different levels of skills and body builds. To make a blunt assumption, as Rep. Higgins has, that all males are by nature physically superior to women is simply incredibly wrong and, well, just plain blind. He almost seems to be implying that some male athletes have cut of their penises and have had vaginas surgically implanted along with taking hormones so that they can grow breasts -- all so they can beat girls in sports! Yikes! I can't think of a jock who gave up his sex life as a man in order to excel in girl sports and, perhaps, even receive a scholarship in a sport. Is that what Rep. Higgins is saying? I have a nephew who went from being male to female and, like many others in that boat, before the transfer was a bit on the effeminate side. Like homosexuality, this isn't anything he chose. And, like nearly all effeminate men, my nephew has never been interested in sports. So why the big stink!? Are there so few issues in this country, and within Virginia, that our legislators have time to spend on an issue as meaningless as this?
I could not agree more that protecting girls in their sports so that they compete fairly is a form of justice. In this case, however I fear you are creating a danger that really is not there. Girls teams are not being overwhelmed by a hoard of boys, pretending to be girls. There are an extremely rare and few number of transgender girls that. That is to say persons who were female, born with male genitalia. That’s a simple minded way of stating a very complex matter. So don’t pick on it. The point is there are very very few. They are not an invasion. I do not know anything about transgender youth and have some apprehension about. Permitting therapy at too early of an age. However, I do know a number of transgender adults. None of the persons who are now fully female are particularly interested in athletics. They are just ordinary women who want to be ordinary women. The same is true for the several males who were born with female genitalia. They have turned out to be ordinary people whose lives have been made a lot happier because who they are and who they appear to be are the same. History is full of stories about transgender persons going back many thousands of years. Only recently has medical science permitted these very few persons to. Resolve the conflict of being one thing, but looking like another. It’s a complicated, expensive, time consuming, and emotionally demanding process. Nobody does it just for fun or to play on the other team. Nobody goes through it to act out sexual perversions. I can say this as the father of three daughters, all involved in athletics, and the grandfather of three granddaughters, all involved in athletics I am grateful for all the laws and rules that make it possible for them to compete fairly against others of their age and weight. Perhaps they will someday encounter a transgender athlete competing against them. It does happen. But it’s unlikely. Yes, by all means keep things fair. It has only just. but please don’t pick on a tiny little minority. Making them out to be some sort of moral enemy. That is not fair or just either.
Steven Woolley
Just because it only happens infrequently or because people’s intentions are not bad doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter. It does matter and especially to the unlucky girl who happens to be competing with a boy.
Thank you for well stated position on this, Mr. Higgins. I don’t live in your district nor do I know much about your other views, but you are absolutely correct on this.
hogwash.
If what you want is a "level playing field" then what you need to legislate is mandating that all coaches have the same level of training themselves, that all athletes have the same practice facilities and time to utilize them, that all parents/guardians have the funds for the extra travel costs and fees, that all children start playing their chosen sport at the same age and are given the same nutritional counseling as all others they will face in competition. Oh and also that everyone in each sport have the same exact muscle mass and height.
This is exhausting. It’s a handful of kids in the entire Commonwealth. Both of my daughters play sports year-round, and they have yet to encounter a trans child on the field.
I couldn’t care less if your daughter wins a trophy. Of all the problems in the world, this is what you consider a legislative priority?
Very proud of the great work of my delegate, Geary Higgins. He also deserves plaudits for trying to make James Madison's former home, Oak Hill, south of Leesburg, into a state park. Democrats said no, and I'm at a loss to understand why.
Other than this opinion piece by Rep. Higgins, I've never so much as heard of the guy, so I can't comment on his past legislative work. But I very much like the idea that James Madison's former home, Oak Hill, should be preserved (whether as a state park or a state monument or something else, well, I'm not well enough versed to know of the costs and responsibilities of each), and I'd applaud Rep. Higgins working for some sort of preservation. I don't know of efforts to block this from happening, but I would say shame! to any Virginia legislator who would get in the way of not making some sort of preservation happen to a site of not only a famous Virginian, but a famous American.
Here's a story from the Loudoun Times-Mirror that may provide you a little more information on the project. Gov. Youngkin eventually supported the project but Assembly Democrats largely killed it. https://www.loudountimes.com/0local-or-not/1local/local-leaders-still-hope-loudouns-oak-hill-will-become-a-state-park/article_b1cff358-f2fd-11ef-b13d-9b69985c99f4.html
Many thanks for sharing this link with me! I’m eager to read it.
Jim Dwyer