Renee Richards played pro tennis in the 70s and no one complained

[DemocratSinceBirth]

[Jim__]

1. No one complained?

Excerpt from wikipedia:

...

In 1976, Richards's gender reassignment was outed by local TV anchor Richard Carlson, the father of Tucker Carlson.[17] Subsequently, the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and the United States Open Committee (USOC) required all female competitors to verify their sex with a Barr body test of their chromosomes.[4][7][18] Richards applied to play in the US Open in 1976 as a woman, but refused to take the test, and thus was not allowed to compete in the Open, Wimbledon, or the Italian Open in the summer of 1976.[4]

Richards then sued the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which runs the US Open, in New York state court, alleging discrimination by gender in violation of the New York Human Rights Law.[4][7][18] She asserted that participating in the tournament would constitute "an acceptance of her right to be a woman."[7] Some USTA members felt that others would undergo sex change to enter women's tennis.[4][7] Sports Illustrated called Richards an "extraordinary spectacle", and characterized reactions to her as "varying from astonishment to suspicion, sympathy, resentment, and more often than not, utter confusion."[7] The USOC stated "there is competitive advantage for a male who has undergone a sex change surgery as a result of physical training and development as a male."[7][19] Richards finally agreed to take the Barr body test. The test results were ambiguous. She refused to take it again and was barred from play.[7]

On August 16, 1977, Judge Alfred M. Ascione found in Richards's favor. He ruled: "This person is now a female" and that requiring Richards to pass the Barr body test was "grossly unfair, discriminatory and inequitable, and a violation of her rights."[5][20] He further ruled that the USTA intentionally discriminated against Richards, and granted Richards an injunction against the USTA and the USOC, allowing her to play in the US Open.[5][7] On September 1, 1977, Richards lost to Virginia Wade in the first round of the singles competition. Partnered with Betty Ann Stuart, Richards made it to the finals in doubles; Richards and Stuart lost the finals to Martina Navratilova and Betty Stove.[4][7][18][21][22]

...


After moving to California, Richards played in regional competitions for her local club, the John Wayne Tennis Club, under the name Renée Clark.[4][7] In the summer of 1976 she entered the La Jolla Tennis Championships,[23] where she crushed the competition, and her unique left hand serve was recognized by Bob Perry, a tour player from UCLA.[4] Her long-time friend Gene Scott then invited her to play in his professional tennis tournament, the Tennis Week Open in South Orange, New Jersey. The USTA and the WTA then withdrew their sanction for the Tennis Week Open, and organized another tournament; 25 of the 32 participants withdrew from the Tennis Week Open.[4][5][7] This was just the beginning of the issues Richards would encounter in trying to play professional women's tennis, which eventually led to her suing the USTA and winning.

...

[AZProgressive]

2. The courts ruled in her favor

Her case was considered a landmark win for transgender rights. I would leave up all arguments to the court.

Her stats were similar compared to before and after she transitioned.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. I Remember It Very Differently

I recall a major controversy over this.
"Nobody complained" is not how I would describe it.
To whit:

...Some USTA members felt that others would undergo sex change to enter women's tennis.[4][7] Sports Illustrated called Richards an "extraordinary spectacle", and characterized reactions to her as "varying from astonishment to suspicion, sympathy, resentment, and more often than not, utter confusion."[7] The USOC stated "there is competitive advantage for a male who has undergone a sex change surgery as a result of physical training and development as a male."[7][19] Richards finally agreed to take the Barr body test. The test results were ambiguous. She refused to take it again and was barred from play.[7]

[AZProgressive]

4. We went through the 80s-2010s without anyone really making a big deal about it

Now in the 2020s Republicans are reviving an issue with a massive amount of propaganda behind it over something that affects less than 1% of population that play sports.

I think there are more pressing concerns than addressing issues Republicans make a big deal about. I would rather raise the minimum wage, pass universal health care, something that actually helps people.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Huh?

Nothing in your reply is more than tangential to my point.
The OP said "Nobody complained". I disagreed.
What the heck does universal healthcare have to do with that?
Attempting to prove one's moral superiority over their own allies makes no sense.

[AZProgressive]

6. Sorry for the misunderstanding

I wasn't making an attempt at proving moral superiority.

All I was saying is after the courts ruled in her favor no one really complained about this issue until recently. I was saying I think there are more pressing concerns than tackling this issue.

[hlthe2b]

7. Yup--but there were complaints.. Still, she was a first in many ways.

And a little trivia, she's also an accomplished ophthalmologist who has treated Keith Olbermann for an ocular muscle condition that nearly left him cross-eyed after a subway fall.

[Oneironaut]

8. But trans people were also being left to bleed out by laughing EMTs, and, were unhirable.

Sports is one thing. Conditions for trans people were horrible up until very recent years, unless you somehow were able to avoid people knowing. You would be fired or worse.

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. Trans people were not safe. Gays were

not safe. They were the butt of a thousand jokes. Trans people often ended up dead. And no one much cared. So it was a huge deal for Richards to do what she did.

[Midwestern Democrat]

10. She was in her 40s when she was playing against younger women. She herself acknowledged the following:

Richards has since expressed ambivalence about her legacy, and came to believe her past as a man provided her with advantages over her competitors, saying "Having lived for the past 30 years, I know if I'd had surgery at the age of 22, and then at 24 went on the tour, no genetic woman in the world would have been able to come close to me. And so I've reconsidered my opinion."

[alarimer]

11. Bobby Riggs was 55, to King's 29

And his health was declining, so there is nothing much to be learned from that either. It wasn't really much of a battle of the sexes.

But we have men's and women's divisions of most sports for a reason.