mcfarm,

I assume that this is the story below, that  you are referring to. I don't have hours to investigate all the nuances/details on both sides to comment specifically about this exact/specific situation but do have some general thoughts below.

I'm very strongly against genetic boys being allowed to compete against genetic girls in all physical sports, where they were born with bodies that give them an unfair advantage.....which is the main reason that we separate girls/boys and separate woman/men in sports based on genetic bodies.

Outside of that, I think we should totally respect transgender people for their choice because many are born with minds that are biologically the opposite gender of their bodies. 

Just because ignorant people don't understand or see the legit  biology/science that causes that, doesn't mean that we should not recognize  and respect that as one of the many authentic but aberrant   conditions that exist in humanity....and work to accommodate them.......without hurting other people(like with girls sports).

This is completely different than mental illness, but people afflicted with mental illness, like the homeless, for instance are often judged based on standards used for healthy minds. A person with a broken leg or that's physically handicapped, for instance,  would not be expected to do the same physical labor of a normal physical specimen but a person with a broken mind(mental illness) that can't be seen is expected to behave normal. We obviously must have rules/laws which control peoples actions so they don't hurt other people, so I'm not referring to mental illness being an excuse for criminal behavior without serious consequences/punishment. More along the line of understanding homeless people, many that are mentally ill.

If a genetic girl with a boys biological mind wants to play boys sports.........go for it. There's no unfair physical advantage!

I think that what would go a long way towards resolving many issues like this is:

1. Compassion/love for fellow human beings that are not like us.

2. Open mindedness about things that we currently don't understand that would allow us to learn from other people that actually DO understand them. 

3. Less group think, tribalism that is based on 2 distinct  belief systems that oppose each other using clearly defined tenants of what everybody one each side must align with. 

Everybody on side 1 believes in A,B,C,D and rejects W,X,Y,Z.

Everybody on side 2, believes in W,X,Y,Z and strongly rejects A,B,C,D.

Today, there is no longer a need to do detective work, doing a detailed analysis of the authentic/objective facts based on our own investigation, then applying critical thinking. Just go to our favorite sources and let them do all that for us.........and trust them completely.

They exist to tell us what we want/like to read and hear, so why would anybody be crazy enough to go to sources that upset us by stating things that are the complete opposite of what we want to read/hear?

In essence, it's an unhealthy way of acquiring what we think is knowledge from a broken system that just feeds/reinforces opposite extremes with more of the same and INCREASES the divisiveness by design.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lawsuit claims Martinsville school district discriminated against transgender student

https://www.wrtv.com/news/education/lawsuit-alleges-martinsville-school-district-discriminated-against-transgender-student

respect. of course in general that is the goal. But you let certain craziness run society and you get kids making the rules, deciding what will be and adults walking around pretending they had noth9ng to do with it, or pretending they are a dog or car, who the hell knows at this point? What about standards. Why are we lowering military standards because we all know women are just not as strong as most males. It never ends when you go down that road.

Thanks mcfarm!

Women in the military is a completely different. Here's  points from both sides.

Pros and Cons of Women in Combat

https://sistersinarms.ca/history/women-in-combat-pros-and-cons/

metmike: I have a unique, profound take based on my 25 years coaching chess to 3,600 students.

You and most people are concerned with the physical standards in the military. Our chess shirts say "Sport for the Brain" because its a sport using the mind, not the body.

When you get to the high school level, 95% of the competition in high level championship tournaments are young men and 5% young women. 

This is absolutely NOT saying that men are more intelligent than women but yes, there is no doubt, that generally speaking the vast, vast majority of  excellent chess players in almost every place you go are men. 

In a few years, my best chess players were girls, I'm not stereotyping. But some  of the time, as many as the top 10 were all boys.........so I'm acknowledging reality.

What does this mean for the military mentality? You may be surprised at the interpretation.

1. People only make leadership positions if they start at the bottom. There are no generals that were appointed to that position without decades of military service. 

2. That's why there are very few generals and admirals  that are women but there numbers have doubled in recent years. THIS IS A GOOD THING!

3. Boys/men are drawn to chess because their brains work differently than girls/women. There are several factors. One, is that males are more analytical and another is that men like the confrontational, tactical battles that take place on a chess board using their minds to crush opponents. It probably relates to things carved into  genetics based on what life has been like for men and women for many thousands of years, as well as testosterone aggression.    

4. For many thousands of years, this was the ideal mindset/trait to have for people in the military.  Armies loaded with well supplied, strong men pumped up to kick the ars's of the other side using the most brilliant military strategies. This is exactly how most historical battles and wars were won.  Chess, is the cerebral version of this.  

5. Is this a good thing? In the past, yes but one only has to look at the modern day, quintessential example of this that shows, in reality this is the WORST THING possible. Putin is the Mr. Macho/high testosterone leader of Russia and his mentality is exactly the mentality, genetically carved into the brains of men in #4. Putin, no doubt sees himself as playing a chess match.......but in the real world with his military.  I can tell you with 99.9% confidence that if Putin was a woman or if the leader of Russia was a woman this would NOT be happening in the same bloody/ruthless manner. In fact, 99% of historical wars would not have happened or at least would have featured less bloody battles and much more negotiating if all the world's leaders and generals were women and not men. 

6. So if you want the better negotiators and the gender that is able to AVOID unnecessary confrontations that have killed the most people in previous battles/wars........you need more women at the top. 

7. Maybe you're still not convinced. Think about this. If the US military and decision makers had been led by women and not men the past 60 years, Most of the disastrous military intervention schemes in the Middle East would have taken place. Very few women's minds  think in a way that would have ever decided to have the Iraq or Afghanistan wars..........and then stay way too long, for instance. Or to overthrow leaders of foreign countries they don't like.

8.  These are all intriguing, challenging strategies that especially appeal to the male brain as a way to defeat the other side....just like chess.

9. So, heck yes we need more women at the top in military leadership to reign in the out of control male brains that exercise poor judgment when it comes to conflicts and  to better negotiate because they have more compassion for the REAL lives of people dying on the battlefields that are not just pieces on a chess board that can be sacrificed as part of a strategy to crush the enemy.

that;s all wonderful information but has little to do with lowering standards so women can pass certain physical limitations. Our society has certain things women do better and other things men do better. Men and women are different. Men cannot have a baby no matter what standards you change, lower, alter or eliminate. Just as a small child can be either a boy or a girl and is not equipped in any way to be choosing what hesheher is. The ACLU has ventured so far into the weeds they will never be back.

mcfarm,

This doesn't have to lower physical standards.  

Of course men will be physically superior in almost every realm..but we aren't a race of people that fight battles with hand to hand combat anymore.

There are many military jobs/roles that women can qualify for.  

If they are motivated to be in the military, this is the exact mindset that you want. Somebody that WANTS to be there and is qualified at a time when recruiting enough people is a huge challenge.

Dialing in a woman's mentality with leadership as spokespeople for the military to resolving conflicts is an absolute positive and the thing that. by a very wide margin has been lacking the most through history.

You've decided that women were created to do things like have and raise babies and men are better fighters.

I agree completely and that's EXACTLY my point mcfarm!

A woman's mentality SAVES lives with compassion, discernment and good negotiating skills.

A man's mentality is why humans have had many hundreds of unnecessary wars, thousands of bloody battles and tens of millions of deaths. Men are too anxious to risk the lives of men(and women) from families that aren't their's  for something THEY want to win politically, often for self serving motives.

For many men, it's a chess match against the enemy and people are pawns.

Women are much less apt to have that frame of mind......seeing the actual humanity and lives based on instinctive qualities that also makes them great nurturing parents.

It's long past time to be better than that. 

Boys and men can just stick with maximizing their special gifts for beating other men using crafty tactics of their army against their opponents army on a chess board.........and it's a great VERY HEALTHY exercise for expanding their brains, especially with analytical thinking. 

And we really love it when girls and women participate in this Sport for the Brain and use that same mentality of trying to CRUSH their opponents because chess is just a great game that only teaches having total respect for the human opponent facing them......even though you are trying to annihilate their plastic pieces on the board or computer !!!