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Ben Hamar

Ben Hamar

@kgkaktus.bsky.social

120 followers 93 following 340 posts

Watch Team Handball 🏐 on the Olympics. My fencing instructor turned me on to it. Her gift to me. My gift to you.

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Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 1h

If you come in 1st at the national championships, people will call you 1st in the nation. www.espn.com/college-spor...

Thomas first transgender athlete to win D-I title

Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas became the first known transgender athlete to capture a Division I national title by winning the 500 free at the NCAA women's swimming championships in Atlanta on Thursday, w...

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 1h

Valid. I doubt the 66% of us Pew says oppose allowing trans women to compete in women's sports know any other case.

I'd guess that some of know the pre-HRT trans girls who won hs state track championships in 2017. That won't help.

Going from 65th to 1st in the nation is hard to ignore, tho.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 1h

Attitudes towards getting gender-affirming medical care & using bathrooms of their chosen gender are better.

Unless we can change the narrative from 'Lia jumped 65th to 1st', I'd say better we pivot from what people see as taking something away to trans folks rights to live the gender they feel.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 2h

66% disagree w/you. 19% don't know.

I'm advocating you convince us 65th/554th/32nd in 2021 to 1st/5th/8th in 2022 wasn't solely due to gender change (e.g. how'd Lia perform pre-HRT) or find compromises to win over those of us who support gender-affirming healthcare but not jumping 65th to 1st.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 2h

All most people know is Lia went from 65th/554th/32nd in 2021 competing against men to 1st/5th/8th were in 2022 competing against women. They see it as unfair.

They don't know Lia was on HRT in 2021. That said, unless Lia's performance in 2020 was much better, this is still a hard case to make.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Leave it up to the politicians? Insane.

After protesters marched in Selma & were set upon w/dogs & firehoses, people who'd been indoctrinated by racist media & attitudes saw they'd been told lies about the protesters.

And media then was almost as biased about that as about trans rights.

From the archives: 50 years ago, mixed views about civil rights but support for Selma demonstrators

In 1965, America’s verdict on Selma was clear: Polling showed the public clearly siding with the demonstrators, not with the state of Alabama.

www.pewresearch.org

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Good luck educating the 85% who don't share your exact viewpoint.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

LOL "TERF is a neutral term"

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Valid point. I'd say that much of legacy media is still reachable, if you can make a better case than just saying 'trans folks going from 65th/554th/32nd to 1st/5th/8th is what is & you're gonna have to accept it'.

E.g. how did Lia rank vs male swimmers before she started HRT?

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

I'm fine w/using trans folk, etc rather than TRA.

Weird that people here are lumping me in w/the 66% of America that opposes trans folk taking part in sports of their preferred gender.

I'm not in the 15% who support that w/out further tinkering but I'm hella closer to them than to the 66%.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Valid point. But everybody on the left is similar situation to a lesser degree. Look at how Mamdani is getting demonized just for advocating trying harm-reduction strategies like a few publicly-funded grocery stores in food deserts.

It is what it is.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Glad to use the preferred phrase.

Weird that you used TERF while making that argument tho.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

What's your preferred phrase. Glad to use it.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

A lot of people making the case chose to dwell on weird arguments like 'There's really no difference between 1st/5th/8th and 65th/554th/32nd' instead of making the case that Lia started HRT months b4 her final mens season.

That's still a hard case but it needs to be made.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 3h

Take the people who agree w/you about 90% of trans rights (e.g. whether trans folks should get to use their preferred bathrooms, be held in prisons w/their preferred gender,etc) & purity test them on whether they agree 100% of your stand on a single issue.

Sorry that discussions r so hard for you.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 4h

We'll have to agree to disagree whether there's a difference between 1st/5th/8th and 65th/554th/32nd.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 4h

That's valid. 15% < 50% so I agree w/Newsom about compromise.

All non-bigots agree everybody should take part in sport as the gender they feel they are. Not all of us agree that trans women should undergo HRT before competing in NCAA sports. Or about t levels. Or... etc...

Compromise is necessary.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 4h

I'm fine with using whatever phrase trans folks prefer.

Using the phrase that a group prefers is important.

I don't consider myself part of the 'gender critical' crowd since I disagree w/most of their stances but for the folks here who do think I'm GC, they'll want to use that, not TERF.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 4h

You're upset about the acronym TRA? It's a dogwhistle?

It's an acronym and it saves space. Just like TERF saves space.

But if "trans people that stand up for their rights" is the phrase you prefer I'll gladly use TPTSUFTR because that's what you do in good-faith discussions.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 4h

Trans Rights Activists

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 6h

I reversed the dates. The 1st/5th/8th were in 2022 at the champs.

The 65th/554th/32nd were in 2021, comparing Lia's best times to the best times of other NCAA swimmers. Not at champs.

I'm bemused that I caught that but you didn't. Guess you were distracted by those terrible AFAIKs.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 6h

Oh hell. I reversed the dates. The 1st/5th/8th were in 2022 at the champs.

The 65th/554th/32nd were in 2021, comparing Lia's best times to the best times of other NCAA swimmers. Not at champs.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 6h

I explicitly said the 554th & her other rankings that year were NOT from the champs.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 7h

I believe you misread my post. The '554th' was comparing her best time to the best times of other NCAA swimmers that year, not at the champs.

Ben Hamar @kgkaktus.bsky.social · 7h

Distances -- 1st in 500. 5th in 200. 8th in 100. In 2021 at championships.

In 2022, 65th, 554th, 32nd -- AFAIK from best times compared to other NCAA swimmers' best times.