Fairness

Let me start out by saying many of my friends may have issues with my reflections this time around. My thoughts on the subject I'm about to write about may differ with yours, but I hope we can exchange views and differences with a civilized and productive dialogue. I don't write these to create controversy, but to start a conversation around topics that I think are important and interesting. I don't expect everyone to agree or even be interested, but I do hope that the topics will at least cause each of us to do some level of thinking about the subject.

Women. That is my topic for this blog.

I grew up in a family with 3 younger sisters whom I love to this day. We had our differences as all siblings do, but even today, my 2 surviving sisters and I text or talk several times each 24 hours. We still love and even like each other. I respect them as individuals and as people. I know they're intelligent, insightful, and interesting human beings with much to contribute to society. I also know that they are physically different from me. They don't have my strength. They didn't play sports as much as I did. But I also know they're smarter than me in many ways and I respect the heck out of that fact.

My wife is also a woman. She is a beautiful woman with skills that I'll never develop. She is a teacher of children with the patience of a saint and the passion for her profession, even today after she has retired. She knows she can influence children and help them on their road to success. I have none of those characteristics and skills. I can lift more weight than her. I can run and have other skills that she doesn't have and we've been OK with those differences for well over 50 years. She's a her and I'm a him just like God made us.

We had 2 great children, both of whom are women. They are individually talented in different areas of life. One is a teacher like her Mother. She influences and mentors junior high kids through her teaching and leadership. She, like her Mother, sincerely wants her "kids" to succeed and live a life well lived.

Our other daughter is more oriented toward the business world like her Father. She enjoys the challenge of making things work in a world of intelligent machines and technology. She mentors her peers while making things better for those around her. She is a teacher as well, but in a non-school setting. She always wants her world to be constantly improving and moving forward. It's her skillset.

Both of our daughters are well-suited for their life choices. They are the apples of our eyes as the saying goes. They are both accomplished women, but they're not able to do the same things physically that a man can do. They don't have the muscle strength to lift 300 pounds. They don't have the physical shoulder and arm strength to play football against a similarly positioned man. They are better suited for the worlds they live in and they should be allowed to compete on an even playing field no matter where that occupational and educational "field" is.

And that brings me to my reflection for this writing. I am a champion for women's rights. I firmly and uncategorically believe that women should be paid the same as any man doing the same job with the same qualifications and the same skills/talents. No difference.

I believe that women should always be given the same opportunities in their occupation that any man is given. No differences. No questions.

I believe that women should have the same educational opportunities that men have. STEM, teaching, management training, etc. should all be offered to anyone regardless of gender or race (another topic). Women are just as capable as men in all areas of life.... except physical. And that is the crux of my reflection.

I believe that women are physically built different than men. I will even go as far to say that God designed us that way for a reason and the reason is not to have an unfair advantage in sports.

I don't believe in allowing transgender women to compete in any physical sport where strength is important. That includes swimming, football, baseball, weight-lifting, etc. The differences in physical ability is too stark to think that the field is level for the women who would be competing against these transgender females. The biological strength given to males is driven by a testosterone level that isn't matched in biological females, so there is an inherent disadvantage for biological females. And as I have written above and have (hopefully) shown during my life, I don't like anything that allows women to be put at an unfair disadvantage. Nothing.

So, let's start the dialogue. What are your thoughts ? I'm not anti-transgender. I am anti-anything that is unfair and this is unfair in my opinion.