So much focus on sport looks at it and misses the fact most people do it for fitness and fun.
Spending a fortune on travel and time to have an opportunity to do a limited selection, well that sucks the fun out if it and locks people out. Rural folks might have the space, but lack the other aspects.

We run, hike, climb, do resistance training. But only solo. If we swim it is wild swimming.
There is bugger all that could even *approach* possibly being inclusive without a 2 hour drive to to an hour of sport, and nothing that appeals.
Local stuff is a lockout.
Barriers to fitness through sport 🤷‍♀️

Aye, done some reading and you are right.
TBH, we are not sure if competitive sport is redeemable.
There is damn all appeal to us, and we were what people would call athletic before old age, transition and covid. We did all sorts of sporting activities. Now, well unless it's solo, it's not worth it.

And dammit...
We have just seen the Paralympics is due to ban trans folks as well....

Really, really hard not to just say fuck all sport.

TBH we know little about it. So totally fair.
Thought they had categories based on ability, loosely grouping similar performances.
But that's just from Last Leg 🤷‍♀️
Need to do some looking clearly.
There must be some good models so we don't start from scratch... 🤔

Something along the lines of Paralympics maybe, and fuck any segregation based on gender.
We have been "beaten" at different types of sports by people of all ages and genders. Good on them, they were better than us and inspirational.
Segregation was often out in place to protect the male ego anyway

Damn well let us do all the types of sports.

But it is competition that drives categories. Which is why non white women and people with any genetic variation are being targeted. Once you start on the path, it is hard to find a place to stop discriminatory practice.

We need proper reform.

Oh, agreed.
Our participation in competition matters.
Just the vast majority of sport in terms of participation is really not focussed on the sharp end. People compete in events/leagues/competitions of all sorts. We would wager, most compete for enjoyment/health. Which is what sporting bodies forget

But unless we deal with the fact that sporting bodies are run by competitive types that focus on the hyper elite, and lower groups have to bow to them for insurance etc, it is always going to be crap.
It's just worse at the moment because of the moral panic. So it has bled into community sports.

As we point out every time we can, we had zero interest in beating anyone when we lined up to "race" pre transition,band we still couldn't hive a damn. We just enjoyed events, community and the challenge. All of which we have lost.
Why, because competitive pricks are shitty people.

Also zero coverage of non competitive trans athletes. Those that do sport and exercise without "competing". Even when something like Parkrun which is set up to be non competitive is covered, it's from a competition viewpoint
Which instantly frames the conversation in a hostile way and exclusive way

It actually makes more sense. Easier to romanticise something when you have no direct experience, and can project whatever you want onto it by selecting only what historical evidence supports your desired viewpoint.

The numbers are also obviously bullshit based on shit methodology.

This is just how the Equality Act is structured re. all sorts of things (including, eg , provision for disabled people as well). You can obviously have criticisms of how that Act is structured but in terms of explaining how it currently works, I don't think the Minister's position is bad.

we have GOT to stop thinking about this in terms of hypocrisy because that's not what's going on! we NEED to understand why pedo apologia is so rampant in anti-trans pseudoscience, why abuse is so rampant in the home, why child marriage is still legal across the country etc.

when RWers say "grooming" they mean "threatening my patriarchal sexual authority, corrupting my property, damaging my goods." they don't actually mean anything to do with sexual abuse, which they see as perfectly permissible under the right circumstances.

Happy Birthday, you are amazing