Member-only story
One Day ‘Gender’ May Not Matter
If we’d learned from BABY X perhaps society would be further along
I grew up in Texas, where football was at the top of the sports heap, and other athletes scuffled for attention. Players wore their tight-fitting jerseys for Friday pep rallies while our silky-haired cheerleaders twirled their short skirts on the sidelines. Everyone else ogled these high school and college celebrities.
I never imagined that one day, a talented female soccer player would be kicking off for her college football team as Sarah Fuller did for Vanderbilt. I certainly never thought I’d hear unreserved support for transgender athletes as I did today when U.S education secretary nominee, Miguel Cardona, spoke during his confirmation hearing.
“I think it’s the legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities and this includes students who are transgender,” Cardona said. “I think that’s their right.”
I was stunned and ebullient, realizing that deeply-rooted gender roles and societal rigidity that begins at birth may finally be changing for good. About friggin’ time. It reminded me of a children’s story I read almost 50 years ago that was a game-changer for me.