I, a transgender woman, never had even the slightest thought of competing in women’s sports. I’ve always recognized that it would have been inherently unfair. (That statement won’t win me any fans in the transgender “community”.)

I transitioned in the early/mid nineties, and haven’t done any sports or exercise, other than light calisthenics with no weights, and walking, in the intervening years. I’ve maintained the same hormone levels of both testosterones and estrogens the entire time, as the average pre-menopausal woman, except for a few years in the early 2000s, when I had no estrogens. That resulted in osteoporosis in my hips, and loss of some bone mass in my spine.

In the over 25 years that I have been fully “passing”, I’ve experienced the full range of misogyny and rape-culture.

When I was violently raped, years ago, I didn’t report it due to fear and shame.

A couple of years ago I was raped by a boyfriend I had broken up with. I didn’t try to fight him. He was a workout fanatic and his biceps are as big as my thighs.

While I am more mature and have learned to stand up for myself now, I am well aware of the consequences of reporting a rape, when you have no,(visible), injuries, particularly when it is a recent sexual partner.

I cried on the shoulders of a few of my friends,(all cis-women), and no one brought up the possibility of going to the police. We all understand the futility and re-traumatization of that process.

A few beginning transwomen and a few men, on Facebook, were incensed and told me, “That’s rape! Go to the police!!!”

Men can’t possibly understand….

The patriarchy is still quite in control of the USA. Rape culture still dominates. Lip service is paid to equality, but it’s really still the same as it’s always been…the media gives a false impression of the status of women in America. You have to live here, not wealthy, to get a true perspective.

Correction: even wealthy women are subject to the degrading influence of the patriarchy, just not quite to the same degree, on average, as lower income women. Wealthy men control them by holding the wealth and privilege over their heads. Many of these wealthy women have absolutely no idea how to survive alone. They are trapped in the patriarchal system as effectively as we all are, with very few exceptions.

Thank you for your thought provoking essay!

Peace Love Kindness Respect the more you give the more you get 😍

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