Rhetorics of Fairness and the Politics of Trans Exclusion

In this rhetorical examination, Dakota Park-Ozee and Jason Jordan delve into the contemporary panic surrounding transgender women in sport and reveal that fairness is not a rhetorical value that promotes equality or justice, but one that further subjugates the most vulnerable in service of privilege. Rhetorics of Fairness and the Politics of Trans Exclusion addresses how the rhetorical subjugation and repression enacted by weaponizing fairness against trans women athletes contributes to material, psychological, and physical violence against not only trans people, but against anyone that must conform to the narrow grids of competition and gender proscribed by advocates for fairness. Park-Ozee and Jordan trace the uses, influences, and implications of the rhetorical weaponization of the value of fairness across discursive arenas. The authors argue those wishing to promote trans rights or other inclusive efforts should leave fairness as a key value behind, instead favoring access, opportunity, and justice. Such a reorientation serves as a reminder that the value of sport has very little to do with competitive outcomes and far more to do with community, public health, and the thrill of the game.