Maybe that's the real, hidden agenda behind these women athletes' thoughts: when TiM activists refuse even reasonable measures it will expose which side in this discussion is impossible to please. And it's not women.

What got me was the proposal that transgender athletes results could be handicapped i.e., that they would compete against women but their official places might be dropped to reflect their male advantage.

As a former university athlete myself, I can only imagine how I and my teammates would have felt to participate in a competition where a TiM clearly won, but we were given our places because the TiM was handicapped; it would not be a good feeling.

Women athletes are athletes for many reasons, but one of them is the sense of achievement that you and other women did your best, and the best (fastest, strongest, whatever) woman won. A TiM outpacing you by seconds, even if they didn't officially beat you, would be deflating and demoralizing and I think a lot of female high school and college athletes would drop out.

That being said, the sports issues is peak transing record numbers of people, especially in sports-mad America, so if it's a crack in the door these women athletes are seeking, then I wish them well.