V 12 N. 67 Boston and London Marathons to Go Non Binary Next Year

The Boston and TCS London Marathons will both have a classification for non binary athletes next year as announced in yesterday's New York Times.  Caveat, before you think of going in that category to make the bucks, there will be no prize money for non-binary runners.  And there will be no gender classification other than male and female in the elite runner categories in order to conform with the rules of international sport.  FYI, the New York Marathon already has a non binary classification.  Boston's virtual marathon also had it and had 56 non-binary entrants and 42 finishers.  We have yet to hear if the Disneyworld Marathon will follow suit putting them at risk of being shut down by Ron DeSantis.

If you are having trouble understanding this paragraph, please see below for a description of non binary and use of pronouns.

I do recall a term  'run what you brung' that was used in automobile racing in the 1960's and 70's when there were disputes as to how big an engine you could put in a race car and still be allowed to compete.  I still like that.  

Let me state up front that I am not opposed to a non-binary category in sport.  Over the last few years I have struggled with the concept, but my grandchildren have set me straight on the terminology although I still struggle with it now and again.  I think that the harshest critics in our society were they to attempt to run 26 miles 385 yards, don't ask me the metric (it's 42 and some change) they would be quickly sorted out by that distance and find some respect for anyone who attempted and succeeded in completing the race.  

This is not to say that the classification  and permission to allow  athletes undergoing a transition in sex from male to female has been resolved.  It has not.  

Although racism and sexism is still rampant in our world, we have come a long way in the last 100 years to include a broader spectrum of people in our hotels, restaurants, theaters, colleges, high schools, sports teams, and even God forbid, the "White" house.    We have accepted categories of sport such as Special Olympics and Para Olympics and have devoted a lot of time and energy to making those games happen.

This sexual classification may still be the biggest hurdle to overcome.  We find it hard to talk publicly about what we hide in our underwear.  If we flaunt it in public we can end up in jail and hopefully not be killed by our fellow inmates.  What we feel in our minds we have, up until recently, had to keep secret.  

If there is an aspect of this subject that I still struggle with it is the use of 'pronouns'.  I feel that it is a challenge to learn a new way of speaking my native tongue.

If there is a category of 'sport' that I struggle with it is gaming.  I understand that the 2024 Olympics will have gaming as a demonstration sport and go full bore in 2028.  Lord have mercy.  

Okay, here is a description of non binary for those of you still trying to take a great leap forward into the 21st century.  This is from lgbthero.org.uk/beingnon-binary

Non-binary is an umbrella term to describe people who identify with a gender outside of the gender binary. and can be categorized under the trans umbrella term, although not all non-binary people identify as trans.  The word non-binary describes a wide array of different identities which fall outside of the gender binary, and can be related to, or completely separate from male and female gender identities

What kinds of non-binary genders exist?

There are many different genders which exist outside of the gender binary. Some non-binary genders and terms include but are not limited to:

Please note that this blog is not advocating for a separate category of competition for each of these definitions.  ed. 

Agender – having no gender or being genderless

Androgyne – identifying somewhere in between man and woman

Bigender – having two gender identities, either at the same time or interchangeably

Demiboy – partially, but not completely, identifying as a man, boy, or masculine person

Demigender – having partial connection with one gender (male, female, or other)

Demigirl – partially, but not completely, identifying as a woman, girl, or feminine person

Enby – a slang term to refer to a non-binary person, not all non-binary people identify with this term

Genderfluid – moving between two or more gender identities at different times, in different circumstances, etc.

Genderqueer – a non-normative or queer gender, having no exclusive connection to any gender

Multigender – having more than one gender

Neutrois – neutral or null gender, similar to agender

Non-binary – an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is neither man or woman; can also be used as an individual gender identity for someone who is neither a woman nor a man, but does not identify further

Pangender- having many or all genders within one’s culture

Transfeminine or Transfem – a person assigned male at birth (AMAB) who identifies with a feminine gender, but does not necessarily identify as a woman

Transmasculine or Transmasc – a person assigned female at birth (AFAB) who identifies with a masculine gender, but does not necessarily identify as a man

Pronouns

Pronouns, in relation to gender identity, are nouns that refer to another individual in place of their name in the third-person. Traditionally, a woman would be referred to as she or her and a man would be referred to with he and him. For instance, when introducing herself, a woman might say “I use she/her pronouns.” Some, but not all, non-binary people may choose to continue using the pronouns associated with their assigned gender at birth. Other non-binary people, commonly, use they/them as their pronoun.

Okay, 'nuff said.  Now let the games begin.

   I had not known about the decision of the Boston and NYC marathons, but I support that decision 100%, even if it has to be eventually tweaked.  The outcry about trans athletes has been deafening, primarily against any trans female competing against girls.  For once I think the bigots have a point because having all the height, limb length, and latent strength has proven to be a big advantage, transforming middle-of-the-road athletes into champions.  It also forces us to take a stand on (1) supporting trans people and (2) protecting women's sports.  I am of the opinion that trans females have a clear advantage over sis-gender females.  The only solution appears to be a separate category although the numbers are vastly short of the male and female numbers.  Still, it seems to me to be the only fair and humane solution.

   For those two marathons to create a separate category appears to be the only solution, and a kind solution as well.  If a person objects to that decision, then they truly are a bigot and will have to deal with the fallout from that exposure.  

   The many definitions of binary, trans, etc. people reminds me of the 34 (?) words for snow used by Inuit people in the arctic.   I concentrated on those terms, mostly understood all of them, but they still made my head swim.  I will not and cannot use them in everyday conversation yet am fine with others doing so, especially if they are used correctly.  Pronouns are a different story.  To say "they or them" for a single person is not right because those pronouns are plural, not non-sexual.  Over time words will emerge, just like Ms. took the place of Miss or Mrs.  Strangely, Miss and Mrs. are returning and Ms. is diminishing in everyday conversation.  Now I am really confused.

Bill Schnier