I’m the mother of three adult daughters who all had the opportunity to continue their sports careers at the college level [and a] former USA Swimming Referee/Official [who] retired in 2017 after a decade-plus long service.

A good portion of the swimming officials in their real jobs were doctors and lawyers. Break-room conversations were often very informative and engaging.

“Would it happen in swimming?”

I can remember those that weighed in offering the negative version of the visual reality of the competition swimsuit…”won’t happen”. When the venerable AMA (American Medical Association) issued a 2014 piece saying that the transgender population shouldn’t have to have surgery to change their birth certificates, common sense went out the door. 

The finer points involving male and female designated restrooms, that would have seemed ridiculous to prior generations, now had talking points. Never mind that studies show we were referring to less than a 1% of the population. 

Overwhelmingly, conversations leaned toward it “wouldn’t happen.” How politically-organized movements over the last several years have changed that mindset is telling.