This article was submitted by NCFM member Bruce Kanter. He claims he is a friend of Mr. Manners, although the two have never been seen together.
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST MEN IS ANTI-WOMEN
Transgender females have been banned in a major competition. In addition, people who have transitioned from female to male in this endeavor, will have any previous titles abolished. I am not talking about Olympic weightlifting, nor is it international soccer, or playing in the WNBA, all which transgender women have done or are doing. The competition I am talking about is international chess.
Mr. Manners
Chess grand-master Nigel Short was vilified for stating that men have a greater aptitude for chess than women. He was careful to note that he did not think men were smarter, pointing out that women show greater intelligence in other areas. Former world champion Gary Kasparov was redeemed from earlier statements, when he concluded that a woman becoming the chess world champion could happen.
Yet the ban of transgender women is based on the idea that people born male may have innate traits that make them better at chess than those born female. Unlike Short, they do not observe that women have superior abilities to women in other intellectual endeavors. The International Chess Federation stated: “Of course men and women are equally intellectually capable. However, in chess as a sport other factors like physical endurance may play a role.” The foundation also observed that that transgender women have:” no right to compete in official events for women until further analysis is made, which could take up to two years (International chess body bans transgender women from … Wash Post 8/17/2023).”
Of course, many are against this decision. In predictable fashion, they are claiming the rule is not just anti-trans, but anti-women. The Center for Trans Equality stated that the rule is: “insulting to cis women, to trans women, and to the game itself.” Why then is the need to exclude cis men not an insult to women? Why does it not acknowledge that these tournaments discriminate against men? In no article did I see the obvious solution stated. That being to end all competitions that exclude men.
The publication “The Nation,” was typical regarding those against banning transgender women. They observed that these rules are based not on science but on misogyny. (The Trans Sports Panic has Reached Peak Stupidity).” Doesn’t that make sense? All males, including for example a ten-year-old chess prodigy, or a seventy-year-old man banned from these tournaments. In contrast, every female in the world is eligible to play, regardless of any chess experience they may have that gives them some advantage in the game. If that is not hatred of women what is?
If characteristics such as endurance differ by gender, how can we ignore them in other endeavors? The most obvious of course, is the military fighting force. Or should we restrict women from becoming CEO’s until we are sure women have the endurance for the job? Let us not forget the disparagement of the Trump campaign for suggesting that one woman who fainted, Hillary Clinton, might not have the endurance to be President. These subjects are taboo. Meaning applying these theories to a life and death job, work that profoundly effects the economy and who should be the most powerful person in the free world, are verboten. Instead, we apply them to something more important. A board game.
Fortunately, as far as endurance, current data does not support that women lack it. That women have more than men. A joint study by the International Association of Ultra runners and Run Repeat: “found that female ultra runners are faster than their male counterparts for distances longer than 195 miles”. We should have men only have to compete against men in such competitions but pay them equally, as is done for women in the 26-mile marathon competitions.
Mr. M in your article in this publication, “Chess Feminism and Media Hypocrisy,” you quoted two-time women’s U.S champion Jennifer Shahade defending tournaments that exclude men, observing that women would: “just get other jobs and stop playing chess.” As all men with similar chess abilities do in the present
As a feminist and chess writer, Shahade is a go to person on such issues. She is in favor of trans-women playing in female tournaments, while excluding cis-gender men. Among her reasons for all female professional tournaments is: “to have some fun (Jennifer Appears on CNN International to Discuss).” Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t men liking working with men a reason companies excluded women from jobs in the past?
People against trans-exclusion from female chess, point out how demoralizing this is to such women. Transwomen have been the only individuals born male who have ever been allowed to participate in these tournaments. The obvious solution is to end these all-female competitions. Doing that would mean no trans people would be singled out. In addition, the primary non-biological reason given for men’s greater chess performance is negative messages about women’s chess ability. What could be a stronger such message than needing to have a chess competition’s that excludes men?
While I do think one gender professional tournaments should end, I do not think it is a major issue. As a men’s activist, things like this are way down the list. However, it exemplifies the typical intellectually dishonest way such topics are discussed, in a way that even George Orwell could not have imagined.
Sincerely,
Mind Boggled.
Dear George:
Obviously, this issue is especially important to you. However, I have checked, and I have found there is no George Orwell among the top two hundred rated chess players. Changing the rules is not going to help you at all.
You do not think women have the right to have fun. What could be more fun for women than long, grueling, cutthroat, chess tournaments against other females? True these competitions discriminate against the four billion or so males in the world. But isn’t that nitpicking?
As feminists have taught us, it is only in private associations where you do not earn money that gender bias should not be allowed and it should only apply to men. Have you forgotten the once all male “Players Club” in Augusta Georgia. What right did these men have to enjoy themselves without women? Fortunately, the club now has females. This is justice. If I am wrong, why was the media so upset with this one sex club, but silent about male excluded jobs such as professional chess tournaments?
