If the Olympics is going to continue to overshadow impressive, talented athletes with woke-identity politics, then I don't know who's going to want to watch this stuff anymore.
As if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) isn't already enough of a joke, they recently updated their Portrayal Guidelines. As you might expect, it's all about protecting the feelings of transgender athletes (and ignoring reality).
The new guidelines ask the media not to use the terms "biologically male" or "biologically female" when describing trans athletes because, apparently, this is "problematic language."
These new guidelines, which include checklists and advice, are part of its efforts to promote inclusivity and equality in how the media portrays athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 🙃
This is the third edition of the IOC's Portrayal Guidelines, which are subtitled "Gender-equal, fair and inclusive representation in sport." They were "created for the Olympic Movement stakeholders, in line with the IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for the 2021-24 period."
Members of the Olympic Movement are "encouraged to adopt and adapt these Guidelines according to cultural contexts."
The guidelines suggest using terms like "sportsperson/athlete," "camera operator," and "partner" instead of "sportsman," "cameraman," or "husband/wife."
The annex, created in collaboration with GLAAD (formerly the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), is titled "Fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory portrayal of transgender sportspeople and athletes with sex variations," and explains terms like "sex variations," "transgender," "non-binary," and "pronouns."
ARE YOU GETTING TIRED OF THE WORD SALAD YET??
Well, we're not done yet!!
In the section called "Problematic Language," there's a list of "Terms to Avoid," including:
born male
born female
biologically male
biologically female
genetically male
genetically female
male-to-female (MtF)
female-to-male (FtM)
identifies as
transgender
sex change
post-operative/surgery
transsexual
Yup. You shouldn't even call a transgender person "transgender" 🙄
Gender identity applies to transgender people in the same way that it applies to any person. If it needs to be specified, simply state: 'Alexia is a woman who is transgender.'
So, technically, you can use the word "transgender" as an adjective but not a noun. I hope you did well in your grammar studies!
The guide highlights that these expressions "can be dehumanizing and inaccurate when used to describe transgender sportspeople and athletes with sex variations."
If there is a clear reason to refer to the category a person was assigned at birth, the terms to use are: 'assigned female at birth', 'assigned male at birth', or 'designated female at birth', 'designated male at birth'.
The IOC is purposefully blurring the lines of who is who, and who is fairly (or unfairly) competing against whom. Outlawing normal-speak is a means to that end.
These athletes were born male AND ARE biologically male, but the IOC allows them to compete in female categories.
Let me remind you, more than half the IOC members are men who are insisting that other men should be called women to make it easier for them to compete against actual women.
