Ten members of the Roanoke College women’s swim team (non-audio) held a news conference (audio) on October 5 at the Hotel Roanoke protesting the inclusion of an unnamed biological male on their team. They collectively showed more unity of purpose and courage than most of the Penn women’s swim team ever did when biological male, Lia Thomas, swam for the Ivy League university from 2021-22.
Each of the ten swimmers spoke from a script at the lectern, which had a large sign in red and maroon uppercase letters attached to it, which stated, “PROTECT WOMEN’S SPORTS.”
A local group of LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals harshly denounced the ten swimmers in a letter signed by “nearly 100 people” entitled “Hate has no place in Roanoke.” Peter Volosin, a former Brown University swimmer and Roanoke City Councilmember, who signed the letter, had absolutely no sympathy for a non-trans athlete complaining about being defeated by a trans athlete: “In some ways that’s a bit selfish, I should have beat this person, I should have gotten first place, if you should do that, you should be training harder, period.”
Peter Volosin is highly mistaken and dishonest. A biological postpubescent male competing as a female will always have a competitive edge regardless of suppressed testosterone levels, hormone blockers, male genitalia amputation and cosmetic surgery.
Nothing can ever make a biological man into a biological woman and vice versa. It is physiologically impossible, and to believe otherwise in charade science defies common sense.
Allowing a transgendered woman to compete with biological women regardless of the sport is like allowing a male German Shepherd to race against a female Pekingese dog in a fifty-yard dash or longer, and expecting the toy dog to win the race. That would be absurd because the German Shepherd has greater musculature, more testosterone, larger paws, tremendous spine flexibility, longer legs and greater lung capacity regardless of age.
Biological men, likewise, have major anatomical advantages compared to women. It is not that scientifically complicated, and has nothing to do with “training harder” or being “selfish” as Mr. Voloshin mistakenly and mendaciously claims.
In my opinion, cheating has no place at Roanoke College, and may also be a violation of the Title IX Act
The Roanoke College women’s swim team should be commended for their courageous defiance of the college administration headed by Frank Shushok, Jr., who feebly hung the team out to dry, unlike Riley Gaines, who came to the team’s defense at the Hotel Roanoke podium. Allowing a biological man to compete with women is both anti-girl and anti-women, and does not allow for a fair playing field.
The unnamed biological male swimmer at Roanoke College needs to compete on the men’s team in emulation of female football player Haley Van Voorhis, who currently plays safety at Division III Shenandoah University in Winchester.
Can you imagine a women’s Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia in 2032 where one-fifth of the athletes would be biological men? That would be unfair, misogynistic and a record-shattering bore. It would also be the end of women’s sports as we know it.
Can you imagine the Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota in 2026 where non-intellectually disabled athletes would compete with disabled ones? That would be grossly unfair and a record-shattering bore. It would also be the end of the Special Olympics as we know it.
Can you imagine the age-restricted (50+) National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa in 2025 where twenty-five-year-old male and female athletes would compete with senior citizens? That would be grossly unfair and a record-shattering bore. It would also be the end of the National Senior Games as we know it.
No matter how ‘successful’ a man’s transition has been in becoming a woman, an athlete such as Lia Thomas will always have a lifelong physiological advantage compared to biological women. This is because of her greater lung capacity, heart size, musculature and bone density regardless of suppressed testosterone levels since science cannot generally undo a biological male’s inescapable innate athletic superiority unless you are a fifty-five-year-old Bobby Riggs competing in tennis against a twenty-nine-year-old Billie Jean King, which didn’t work out so well for Riggs in 1973.
– Robert L. Maronic
