Olympic Result: Biology 1 Media 0
It was a big week last week. The transgender agenda suffered another mortal blow as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the culture slowly returns to truth and biology. Not a great day for the NZ media though. The gender narrative is crumbling almost as fast as their trust levels. We look at their previous coverage of the Olympics transgender issue.
Show Script:
Olympic Result: Biology 1 Media 0
It was a big week last week. The transgender agenda suffered another mortal blow as the IOC and the culture slowly returns to truth and biology. Not a great day for the media though, was it. The gender narrative is crumbling almost as fast as their trust levels. We look at their previous coverage of the Olympics transgender issue.
Here’s was the announcement by the International Olympic Committee regarding dudes no longer being able to compete against females
A win for biology.
But it’s not until you look back at the messaging by the media in NZ that you see just what a cultural turnaround this decision by the IOC was against the constant media narrative.
The media were quick to argue ideology over biology.
Let’s revisit that – and you’ll see just how crazy and incessant it was
NZ HERALD
Olympics 2024: Debate over trans inclusion hits female boxers hard – Editorial
The trans community – who are literally on the sideline of this event while simultaneously at the heart of the debate – already faces challenges and barriers to participation in sport.
A top New Zealand academic and former athlete is urging critics of weightlifter Laurel Hubbard to review their stance, warning some opinions are outdated and “misogynistic”… AUT senior lecturer Lexie Matheson … “I really worry about the misogynistic aspect of a lot of the criticism, it’s based around ‘man big and strong, women small and little,’ it’s all based around that stuff which isn’t correct at all. Have a look at Laurel and the people she’s competing with, they’re all the same size as she is.”
Support for first New Zealand transgender Olympic athlete Laurel Hubbard grows
A former world-class cyclist and trans-rights advocate Kristen Worley (who is a dude in a dress) says Laurel Hubbard’s Tokyo Olympics selection has been a long time coming… Waikato University psychology senior lecture Jaimie Veale (also a dude in a dress and part of the radical activist group PATHA who want to chemicalise and castrate gender confused kids) said everyone in the trans community was proud of Hubbard.
Laurel Hubbard wins University of Otago sportswoman of the year award
Yes – sportswoman
Tokyo Olympics 2020: World reacts to Laurel Hubbard’s historic Games feat
Tokyo Olympics: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lends support to NZOC over Laurel Hubbard selection
Editorial: The ballad of Laurel Hubbard – the first open transgender Olympiad
Agree or disgree with her inclusion, there is no questioning her courage, determination and right to the title Olympian.
Oh – and remember Imane Khelif – the male boxer who beat up women in the ring – but only recently admitted what we all knew anyway?
Olympics 2024: Algeria’s Imane Khelif rides out storm for boxing glory
What Imane Khelif boxing controversy says about gender and women in sport – The Front Page
University of Waikato Professor in Sociology of Sport and Gender Holly Thorpe told The Front Page that the IBA has largely been discredited.
Quite the contrary actually. The IBA has been vindicated because they focused on biology.
But our Waikato University “expert” said
“…male athletes have never been subjected to sex testing, and that many of them have biological advantages that allow them to perform at a higher level. “If we look at Michael Phelps, for example – huge feet, tall, big hands. These are biological advantages in swimming, but we’re not accusing him of any unfair advantage, right?”
It’s interesting they don’t use this image eh
From a “sports journalist” who knows very little about chromosomes
The misinformation regarding Khelif and Liu is damaging, unfair and contradictory. Spectacular bodies and unrivalled talent are the things that set great sport apart.
In general, this notion that journalists serve their audience by just “here’s both sides, you decide” is a fallacy. It is our job to try to sort through some of this, where there is disproportionate harm, disproportionate blame… To move this conversation forward productively will require responsible journalism that considers the complexities of the subject, engages critically with science, and respects and values the voices and lived experiences of transgender athletes and those from the wider transgender community.
One of the authors of that piece is transgender Jamie Veale of PATHA
ONE NEWS
‘Horrifying’ some think trans women will ruin women’s sport – athlete
Mountain biker Kate Weatherly who is biologically male but wants to compete against the females.
Transgender athletes face exclusion from community sports
Kate again – and our “expert” from Waikato University again. Note how the media always go to the same 2-3 people who push the narrative they want.
Waikato University professor of sport and gender, Holly Thorpe, agreed, calling the announcements a “threat to basic human rights”. “Access to sport is a human right,” she said.
Yes – in your biological category.
Imane Khelif facts: Breaking down the Olympic boxing firestorm
Misinformation, abuse and injustice: Holly Thorpe and Ryan Storr outline the controversy around Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
You know how Holly is. Dr Ryan Storr (he/him) is a multi-disciplinary researcher and his research interests focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion across sport and movement settings. He is also co-founder of Proud2Play, the peak organisation for LGBTIQA+ sport and active recreation in Victoria. Enough said.
Scotty Stevenson: On The Sidelines — August 5
Khelif .. have found themselves at the chaotic intersection of partisan politics, gender warfare, and the IOC-Russia power struggle.
Laurel Hubbard’s Olympic selection follows the rules, says PM
Things like gender, hormone levels and regulations didn’t matter. The battle between two athletes did.
And a reminder of how flawed the NZ Olympic Committee were in all this – and I’ll come back to them shortly
What NZ’s biggest rainbow sports tournament means to me
“While most sports clubs have male and female divisions, we have an open category and a female-identifying category,” Tom says. The open category is for all gender and identity expressions, while the female-identifying category is open to cisgender women, transgender women and non-binary people who were assigned female at birth (AFAB). “Those categories allow for people to play as their authentic self without the fear of judgement.
(The great news is that Re:News is being slowly defunded – and not a moment too soon)
RADIO NEW ZEALAND
Transgender athletes “not a threat” to women’s sport – US swimmer\
Transgender athletes “are not a threat” to women’s sport, according to American swimmer Lia Thomas.
Says a dude who deprived real women like Riley Gaines of swimming medals.
Chris Mosier: the trailblazing transgender athlete
Mosier became the first openly transgender male athlete to compete in an Olympic trial alongside other men, although he was unable to finish the race due to injury.
She said
“No one is born a man, we’re born babies. Every single one of us is a born a baby and we figure it out from there, you know we put a lot of stereotypes and myths and there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be a man or to be a woman.”
Hubbard makes history at Tokyo Olympics, says sport is ‘for all people’
PM lends support to NZOC over Hubbard selection
Support for first NZ transgender Olympic athlete Laurel Hubbard grows
Yes they managed to find another transgender sports….er…. person
A former world-class cyclist and trans-rights advocate says Laurel Hubbard’s Tokyo Olympics selection has been a long time coming. Kristen Worley was the first transgender athlete to go through gender testing under the IOC’s 2004 rules….”I’m very supportive of Laurel and her personal endeavours. For me it’s about ensuring her safety as an athlete and her participation in Tokyo,” Worley told Morning Report. She said there was a need for better education of human physiology.
And then back to radical activist dude Jamie Veale from PATHA
Oh – and again
Trans mental health expert Jaimie Veale on Laurel Hubbard weightlifting selection
Trans advocate Kristin Worley supports Laurel Hubbard selection
Laurel Hubbard – lifting for history
And they talk to… Kristen Worley the dude who wants to compete against females in cycling
Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard should be at Olympics
According Weightlifting NZ high performance coach.
Why transgender athletes can’t get a sporting chance
A weightlifter is the butt of online jokes. A cyclist faces a slew of criticism. A fighter prepares to hide who he is. Max Towle meets the transgender Kiwis suffering for their sport.
Laurel Hubbard: I have to block out the criticism
An interview with John Campbell? Next……….!
NZ weightlifting team united around Hubbard
[High Performance Director Simon Kent said] I see the positivity that this is wider than sport, this brings to the forefront of what does it look like to be a genuinely diverse and inclusive society, getting people taking about something that potentially wouldn’t be at the forefront of discussion so overall I think its a positive thing.
Did the team members actually have a choice?
Online misinformation, real world damage
From the hopelessly hopeless MediaWatch – which only watches media it prefers
For every media explainer, there were thousands of misleading posts on social media, and most particularly the platform formerly known as Twitter, X. It was there that deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters called Khelif’s first round defeat of Italian boxer Angela Carini “a shocking example of why biological men should not compete in women’s sports”. He was joined by politicians like Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni. Meanwhile, Harry Potter author JK Rowling imputed some kind of malice to Khelif hitting someone in the ‘hitting people competition,’ accusing the boxer of having the “smirk of a male . . . enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head”.
Misinformation, abuse and injustice: Breaking down the Olympic boxing firestorm
Holly from Waikato and Ryan from Victoria again – our so-called experts
Competing in elite sport as a transgender woman
Lovely puff piece on the guy who wants to mountainbike against the girls
Weatherly talks to The Detail about the personal attacks, her response to FINA’s (swimming body) move and why she believes decisions about transgender women competing should be made on a case-by-case basis, rather than a blanket decision being made for the entire sport.
Nope – we’ll stick to biology thanks. For the sake of fairness and safety
Sports Minister fields dozens of letters about Laurel Hubbard’s Olympics selection
Robertson responded by saying he supported steps to further understand the issue of trans participation in sport, “and ensure sport remains open and inclusive for all while protecting an even field of play”.
NEWSTALK ZB
Sports physician: ‘One size fits all’ rule for trans women is wrong approach
Dr Mark Fulcher, a sports physician with Axis Sports Medicine, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this is a complex and difficult situation. “I don’t think science is there one way or the other to give us a clear answer on what we do next.”
Louisa Wall: Trans athlete consultation should be a rational conversation about inclusivity
“Everyone deserves to be involved in this conversation, but it needs to be a rational conversation based on principles that sport and recreation as a sector is a public good that everyone should have an opportunity to access and participate in.” Wall says there have never been any restrictions on transgender men, so the policies will focus on transgender women.
Yeah – cause most females usually don’t want to compete against the dudes because of the physical safety aspect
From Newstalk ZB sports host
Tokyo Olympics 2020: D’Arcy Waldegrave – Why Laurel Hubbard’s ‘failure’ was still a win
Not for her, not for New Zealand, but for people. Us. All of us in our diverse states. All of us whose unique soup of DNA marks us as individuals. We are born – never asked, and have our own struggles, some more pronounced than others. She placed the issue of transgender participation in the middle of the room. She highlighted an uncomfortable truth in a binary world.
D’Arcy Waldegrave: Why Laurel Hubbard deserves to be at the Tokyo Olympics
We should be proud of Hubbard, and cognisant of the difficult path she has travelled to achieve her goal. The refusal of many to accept that Laurel is a woman is a huge part of this discussion. We still need among other things, a better understanding of gender identity, the effects of hormone therapy and to challenge the idea that men are always superior to women in sport.
‘No scientific evidence’ that Hubbard has advantage
Athlete Ally policy director Anne Liebermann – Our mission is to help every athlete act as an ally and ensure every LGBTQIA+ person is welcome and safe in sports.
STUFF
Human Rights Commission NZ backs transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard for Commonwealth Games
Taine Polkinghorne, [A woman pretending to be a man] human rights advisor for sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (SOGISC), said Hubbard or any transgender athlete is selected on merit of performance and background should make no difference.
Tokyo Olympics: Transgender Olympian Laurel Hubbard’s journey to ‘just be me’
NEWSROOM
Peters delivers self-uppercut with cynical boxing claims
Peters claimed that an Olympic female boxer abandoned a match and sobbed in the ring after being hit by an opponent who “previously failed a gender test”. He argued that this scenario exemplified the need for stricter gender rules to ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports. However, Peters’ comments, while ostensibly concerned for athletes’ wellbeing, are a disturbing example of disinformation that manipulates public opinion and fosters division…. We deserve better from our public officials; we deserve leaders who seek to inform and uplift, not those who spread falsehoods for political gain. Peters’ statements on gender rules in sports are a troubling example of disinformation that must be addressed and corrected. It is incumbent upon all of us—citizens, media, and public figures alike—to prioritise truth, foster informed discussions, and resist divisive narratives that undermine the cohesion of our society. Only then can we build a community where fairness, safety, and inclusion are genuinely upheld in all areas of life, including sports.
By Louisa Wall.
The biological truth may have done a self-uppercut to Louisa, don’t you think?
THE SPINOFF
A confused piece from The Spinoff
The Weekend: There’s nothing fair about the Olympics
Khelif looked intimidating standing next to the much slighter Carini. And when people who look dominant turn out to be dominant? That’s unfair. The Olympics is supposed to be an event that lets us witness the greatest physical beings in the world show what human bodies are capable of. And yet when we don’t like the look of some of them (and it’s only ever powerful women) suddenly the parameters for physicality start tightening.
Ah no – it’s because Khelif is a biological dude
OTAGO DAILY TIMES
Division of elite athletes by gender ‘outdated’: researchers
University of Otago researchers are suggesting the need for radical change in the “outdated structure of the gender division” used in elite sport. Existing gender categories in sport should perhaps be abandoned in favour of a more “nuanced” approach in the new transgender era, the researchers say.
Now to be fair, the media did cover some of the objection to transgenders in sports – including the open letter written by more than 50 former Olympians, including gold medal winners Barbara Kendall and Joseph Sullivan, four-time Olympian Steven Ferguson and former Silver Fern Anna Stanley (nee Rowberry), who signed the letter that challenges the Government to ban male advantage from women’s sports, and also the Samoan weightlifters who said it was unfair for transgender weightlifters to compete in women’s divisions and took their protest to the International Weightlifting Federation.
But these were in the minority – as you can see from the weight of the coverage above.
Even now, some in the media are using words like “controversial” and “hysteria”
And of course the real drubbing for the media is that the Olympic committee decision was set in motion by none other than the orange man – yes President Trump. That along will trigger most of the media.
Remember this at the beginning of last year?
And it wasn’t only Trump, it was also Winston Peters – and some superb campaigning by Ro Edge from Save Womens Sports Australasia.
Here’s an example from 1news with the mountainbiker who is a male but wants to compete against women
So it’s Biology 1 Media (and radical gender activists) 0
What a difference a proper biologically-based decision can make eh
Suddenly it brings clarity. Yep – the binary does that. Created male and female. Very simple
But note that this issue isn’t over. Listen to what the head of the NZ Olympic Committee told ThreeNews at the end of last week
Still some work to do to make sure biology, safety and fairness wins the gold medal.
