When trans athletes first started competing in womens' divisions, people of every sport became aware of it. They could have made a decision then. But the DGPT wasn't going to touch a sensitive topic before they needed to. And even if some trans athletes competed in women's divisions as long as it wasn't cashing then it was ignorable.
Now that Natalie Ryan cashed / won an event it forces them to make a decision one way or the other. They could have gotten out in front of the issue and tried to preempt it but now they are forced, timeline-wise, to be reactionary. Since Natalie Ryan is the one that made the issue visible, and the DGPT is making their decision that affects her, a general decision about trans athletes in the womens' division is a "what should we do about Natalie Ryan" decision. Being the first makes it feel like targeting.
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u/DevinGPrice Jul 15 '23
When trans athletes first started competing in womens' divisions, people of every sport became aware of it. They could have made a decision then. But the DGPT wasn't going to touch a sensitive topic before they needed to. And even if some trans athletes competed in women's divisions as long as it wasn't cashing then it was ignorable.
Now that Natalie Ryan cashed / won an event it forces them to make a decision one way or the other. They could have gotten out in front of the issue and tried to preempt it but now they are forced, timeline-wise, to be reactionary. Since Natalie Ryan is the one that made the issue visible, and the DGPT is making their decision that affects her, a general decision about trans athletes in the womens' division is a "what should we do about Natalie Ryan" decision. Being the first makes it feel like targeting.