Wait a second. I was told that the Catholic Church was anti-woman? So why is that the secular colleges are attacking women’s sports and Fr. Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, is standing up for his female athletes in USA Today.
It’s a pretty great piece:
“The sun was a long way from rising yet Alison was already running on quiet campus roads as I left for the airport.
She didn’t have to be up so early. But she was. That’s how she is wired.
Alison is a bit over 5 feet tall, so she says, and maybe a little north of 100 pounds. Intimidating to look at she is not. Alison is also one of the finest, toughest, fiercest athletes I have ever met. In one track and field event, she ranks as one of the top 20 NCAA D-III women athletes in the country.
Waving as I drove past Alison on that extremely cold morning, my heart broke for her. You see, despite her early mornings, rigorous workouts and athletic gifts, in her D-III women’s category, Alison may have to compete against athletes who I believe have an unfair advantage: transgender women.
Biology 101 tells us men’s bodies and women’s bodies are different. Because they are, Title IX legislation has elevated women’s sports in schools over the past 50 years, making it possible for more female athletes to compete against other female athletes. Because their bodies are different, we have the NBA and WNBA, the PGA and LPGA, ATP and WTA. These divisions give women the opportunity to measure their hard work and success against other women on an even playing field.
Recently, Lia Thomas made news as a transgender female swimmer who competed on the University of Pennsylvania men’s team for three years until joining the women’s team. Despite NCAA-required testosterone suppression treatment, Lia easily won many of her races, setting several pool records along the way.
Over the years, I have walked with men and women who struggle with their body, their identity. It’s often a painful journey. They feel isolated, trapped and despairing. We need to do all we can to help these individuals.
But we can’t tell them drugs or surgery will bring their body in line with what they experience and feel. We can’t say the human body doesn’t matter when it matters greatly.
Appreciating both male and female
The male body and female body are beautifully and wonderfully made. They have inestimable value and dignity. To experience the full beauty, we must appreciate both male and female, see their complementarity and difference, and celebrate both. We should be awed by this rather than trying to deny it, even when the body and mind conflict.
The body matters. That’s why, as a university president, I am concerned for my female athletes. They will work hard, be diligent in their training, and on race day lose to transgender athletes. Tragically, it becomes another example of how the system is rigged against women because they were born women. Our female athletes deserve better. Alison deserves better.
Alison and I talked a couple of times about saying something on the impact of transgender athletes on women’s athletics. I was nervous she might experience negative consequences for speaking out publicly. I was worried something would happen to her while she was racing. She wasn’t.
You see, she’s built that way, tough, scrappy. I’ll never forget her face, looking up at me as she bravely said, “Father Dave, it’s just a race. We have to say something. There are things more important than running.”
Alison wins again. She will always be a champion in my eyes.”
Pretty awesome. Kudos to him and Alison. This is something the Catholic Church was made for. Standing up to the culture. Exposing the darkness for what it is by being a light.
