Monday is Patriots Day in Boston, and in line with tradition, the 129th Boston Marathon runs.
But there’s nothing to add to women’s freedom.
Since 2023, runners can qualify for hotly contested slots in limited access races in one of three gender categories: male, female, and non-binary.
Women’s official qualifying times are 16.6% slower than men, and for 30 minutes we all recognize the fact that we all know that is true. Men are faster than women.
Non-binary categories use women’s qualifying times due to another basic fact. Non-binary individuals may be biologically male or biologically female.
In the two years since the non-binary category was introduced, both winners were biological males and were proof of truth of fact if necessary.
But now the marathon allows men to compete in the women’s division, as they claim to be women.
Riya Suising, born Robert Chien Hwa Young, is a man. A longtime runner, Suising has competed in more than 338 races in the women’s category since 2009, winning more than 140 medals across age groups.
In each of those races he drove away the right woman – and every time he stood on the podium he drove away many.
Allowing male runners in women’s races undermines the fairness and disadvantages of female competitors.
That means men can win all Boston Marathon categories – male, female, non-binary too.
The space for women is not protected.
On a day to respect courage and freedom, does this really mean breaking obstacles?
And when President Trump is suing the state for violating Title IX, and when the UK Supreme Court finds that transgender women are actually not legally women, is it we really want the marathon decision?
Simply claiming to be a woman does not erase the benefits of male exercise.
Adopts VO2 Max, or the body’s ability to use oxygen during intense exercise.
This is an important marker of endurance, with VO2 Max in men being 50% greater than VO2 Max in women on average.
Human sex cannot be changed. Qualifying time only barely got him in the race and stole the spot from the real woman.
Sports competitions set clear boundaries for reasons. And women are not merely men with disabilities.
The argument that men take enough wrong hormones means they should compete with women is highly misogynistic.
Women are excellent athletes and deserve fair and equal shots, not only to win on the podium, but also to be able to participate in the game.
Sports is not to be included. Not everyone is eligible for the Boston Marathon. Female athletes devote their lives to achieving the qualifying time needed to run at that prestigious event.
However, the Marathon’s lead corporate sponsors, Bank of America and Adidas, implicitly support the removal of the Boston Athletic Association’s women’s category and erasure of female athletes.
It’s time for our people to blatantly refuse to ignore women.
Boycott works. Look at Bad Light, who lost the top spot in the beer category due to his alliance with trans-identified male influencer Dylan Mulbany.
Budlight drinkers refused the lie that men could become women, and the brand also refused.
It’s not a bias, it’s just a embrace of biological reality, and Budlight lost more than $1 billion in sales to embrace fiction that men can become women if they wear enough makeup.
If Adidas and Bank of America don’t leave the race, we should leave their brand.
And corporate sponsorships have a huge impact on sports. Only when Proctor and Gamble dropped their support for USA gymnastics in the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal could the USAG take action to implement a safer training environment for female athletes.
Using purchasing power, you can send a clear message to Adidas and Bank of America that biological reality is important.
The overwhelming majority of Americans, 79% of us, agree that women’s sports must be protected, including most Democrats.
Allowing even one man to break boundaries means that “female sports” no longer exists.
The Boston Marathon boys category is open to Leah’s appeal. The same goes for non-binary categories.
The female category should not be.
Misogyny doesn’t look good in a running bra. It’s still that men insist on special treatment and prioritize all women’s fair shots.
Jennifer Say is the founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics.
