First, forgive me for a mostly political post, and if political discussions aren’t welcome I have to problems deleting this.

I live in a highly conservative, sports loving area and I’m tired of listening to all the obviously insincere hand wringing and lies about safety and trans athletes in women’s sports. Sometimes, changing the subject or leaving isn’t an option, sadly. I was hoping you all could give me a little advice on how to respond as I’m tired of being silent.

Instinctively, I want to try and derail these arguments by suggesting that collegate and youth sports implement something like the “red stripe” rule from youth football. In pee wee football, if a player is growing faster than their peers then their helmet is marked with a red stripe and they’re no longer allowed to carry the ball or play certain positions. This is both for handicap and safety reasons.

And just to be clear, I think the safety/unfair advantage argument is bullshit.

However, suggesting a red stripe rule could be a way to answer that argument without conceding their point and move a debate on to other topics. If a bigot still wants to press the sports issue, they’re have to find other reasons to do so, and likely have to reveal their prejudice more openly.

But, I’m hesitant to use this argument, because at its core, such a rule still singles out trans athletes. So while it seems like a great debate tactic, I can still see how it could come across as offensive and transphobic, despite my intentions.

I don’t like the idea of simply dismissing the issue as only affecting a tiny percentage of the population because that, to me, shouldn’t matter.

So, what approach would be best? How would you all respond in this situation? How can I speak out on your behalf without speaking over you or for you?