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Alberta to ban men from women’s sports

The Alberta provincial government has proposed legislation to prohibit male athletes who claim to be females from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Their “Fairness and Safety in Sport Act” (Bill 29) would apply to most amateur competitive sports organizations in the province, including public and private school leagues, as well as college and university athletics.

While about half of all U.S. states have similar laws, this would be the first time that a Canadian province would issue a clear delineation against such unfair and potentially dangerous competition.

God made men and women vastly different from each other, and part of this difference is that men are typically bigger, stronger and faster than women of the same age. When males compete against girls and women, the competition is often one-sided, with predictable results. Average male athletes become champions and record-setters when they stop competing with boys and instead race, box and wrestle against girls.

In addition to the lack of fairness, such competitions can be dangerous, especially in sports that encourage physical contact between participants, or where a ball or puck is involved. In one high-profile case in North Carolina, high school volleyball player Payton McNabb was badly injured when a male opponent spiked the ball at her head, resulting in a concussion and neck injury, and long-term memory problems and headaches. McNabb has become an outspoken advocate to keep women’s sports for female participants only.

Anyone who has witnessed male swimmers dressed as women competing against females can attest to how unfair the competition is, and how clear it is that these men have an enormous physical advantage. Sports leagues for youth are often divided by age categories: we would not expect a 17-year-old to compete against 12-year-olds! Common sense dictates that males should not be permitted to perpetuate the fantasy that they are females, by acting in a way contrary to how the Lord made them. That's all the more obvious when their act hurts not just themselves, but others too.

In Romans 1, Paul reminds us that those who rejected the Lord “became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” Citizens of Alberta may be thankful that some of this foolish thinking may be discouraged by this legislation.