What are they about?

Conversations in the Liberal Arts happen Wednesday Afternoons (4:10pm-5:10pm) in Ellis Hall. Informal discussions include a variety of topics such as politics, literature, social issues, scientific questions, as well as religion and philosophy.  

Note from the Steel Center (12/11/2024): "Best of luck to students on their finals! The Steel Center will be closing on December 19th through January 5th for winter break, and will be reopening on January 6th. We hope to see you all next semester for exciting events and discussions!"

Spring 2025 Schedule

February 5th

Transgender Issues in Sports, ft. Terri Bonebright, Professor of Psychology

Abstract

Transgender athlete participation in sports competitions is a controversial topic that highlights the issues of fairness, injury, and discrimination in women’s sports. One recent example involves Lia Thomas, a transwoman swimmer, who won the NCAA swimming championship in 2022 and who recently lost a legal battle to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024. Another example occurred in November of 2024, when five athletes filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference due to a transwoman volleyball player on the San Jose State University women’s volleyball.  These athletes claim that their Title IX rights are being violated. Additionally, congress has been wrestling with the issue when the House passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports if their sex assigned at birth is male. It would withhold funding from schools that violate this rule under Title IX. However, these issues have been evident in women’s sports much earlier through women athletes who have disorders of sexual development. Our discussion will focus on understanding the different perspectives about transgender athletes and evaluating the current proposals to address these issues in women’s sports.