Republicans would rather talk about trans women in sports than anything else right now.
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Republicans have a love-hate relationship with transgender athletes. They apparently hate them individually, but they also love the concept of “men competing against women” as a bogeyman that they can fall back on when their president and favorite billionaire wreck the country.
That’s a dynamic that we once again saw play out this weekend.
It’s an understatement to say that there is quite a bit going on in the United States. In fact, it’s mayhem.
On the one hand, you have Donald Trump trying to destroy the US economy with his tariffs, and on the other you have DOGE Gauleiter Elon Musk trying to destroy the government with his tech bro squadrons.
In both cases, the GOP-led Congress could step in and do something.
For example, instead of watching the stock market take a double-digit plunge, Republicans could put an end to this tariff lunacy right now. Of course, that would require them to oppose Trump, which means it’s not going to happen for some time… for example, until the Dow Jones plummets another 10,000 points, small businesses are forced to shut down, and Americans are getting laid off left and right.
Congress could also reassert its authority over government spending, which would prevent the administration from withholding appropriated funds based on ideological litmus tests. Of course, that would require them to oppose Musk, which is also not going to happen (at least not until Social Security checks stop arriving).
To be fair, four Senate Republicans already voted with their Democratic colleagues to curb Trump’s tariff authority in one case, and there are some half-hearted efforts underway to tie the president’s hands before he has wiped out every 401(k).
But taking on Trump and Musk is hard.
Punching down, on the other hand, is not difficult at all.
And, in the right-wing ecosystem, there is no easier target than the transgender community, which is why Republicans (and Fox News) love talking about “men playing against women.” It’s the perfect narrative for a party (and a network) that wants to maintain a constant level of fear of “others” among its voters (or viewers).
“There are entire men’s teams across this country now that are tuning trans,” said mediocre college football coach-turned-senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). “Women’s teams are turning trans. That’s gonna be a situation where it’s gonna pick up speed because these woke globalists are pushing these kids [to say they want to participate in women’s sports].”
If you are wondering why Americans should be listening to a washed-up football coach on any subject, you are asking the wrong question (although that one is valid, too).
The right question is: “What in the world is he even talking about?”
Of course, it doesn’t matter to Fox News viewers since he managed to somehow link the trans issue to “woke globalists.” That’s a language your average MAGA voter understands.
Tuberville is not the only Republican who is more concerned about trans athletes than their voters losing their entire savings.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), the queen bee of the congressional performance artist caucus, also had some things to say… in this case about “tr*anny men” taking over disc golfing.
It may not be America’s most popular sport (or even one that many people know exists) but it caught the attention of “Hold the Line” Nancy because one competitor refused to throw her frisbee in protest of a trans woman participating in her division (we know very little about this sport, so our apologies if competitors are “frisbee golfers” rather than “frolfers” and “divisions” are “categories”).
“The very brave Abbie Wilson sticking it to the tr*anny men taking over women’s spaces and sports. It’s not fair,” stated Mace. “Ladies, keep it up — hold the line — and hold these sick tr*nnies accountable. Protect women’s rights.”
The very brave Abbie Wilson sticking it to the tr*anny men taking over women’s spaces and sports.
It’s not fair.
Ladies, keep it up – hold the line – and hold these sick tr*nnies accountable.
Protect women’s rights. https://t.co/SfIWfdteTa
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) April 5, 2025
As far as we can tell, disc golfing is a non-contact sport that isn’t very lucrative, and Wilson isn’t all that good at it (compared to other frolfers), so it’s tough to say how significant this is in the disc golfing community.
Last year, she placed 31st out of 38 competitors who finished in this event, and she was ten throws/shots/strokes away from earning $350, so the exposure she will get on Fox News and right-wing merchandise because of this is probably much more valuable than continuing in the competition would have been.
We are not saying any of this to denigrate frolfers (if that’s not the right term, then it ought to be); we are just saying that Republicans are really scraping at the bottom of the barrel if they are trying to make “trans women ruining disc golf” a thing… especially when they are just shrugging their shoulders while Trump ruins the financial lives of millions of Americans just because he doesn’t know how tariffs work.
Need more proof?
Tuberville, Mace, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller amplified a post about a pool tournament in which two trans women are facing off in the final.
If you want to know more about it, the fine folks at Fox News deemed this worthy of a story. It should be noted that this is not some high-stakes event. The winner is taking home a mere £1,800.
If you are wondering about that funny “L” before the number, that’s the symbol for the British Pound, which means that this didn’t even happen in the US.
However, putting down trans people is the only game in town if you don’t want to talk about the economy, the destruction of the government, huge anti-Trump protests, college students getting kidnapped for having opinions, and other anti-American stuff, so a low-level pool tournament in England and disc golfing will have to do.
So, get ready to learn more about sports you didn’t know existed, because the likes of Tuberville and Mace are ready to tell you all about them (while shirking their actual responsibilities).
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
