Here is a question for the lawyers out there.
Do FINA regulations supersede US federal anti-sex discrimination laws?
Granted, I am not sure I know what the latter are. However, if I were to show up at a USMS swimming meet, wearing a perfectly legal women's swimming suit, one of the zipper-free kneeskin type models that also covered my ample boobage, and the officials rightly disqualified me for wearing this get-up because it is against the FINA/USMS agreed upon New Order, could I then turn around and sue under some federal statute prohibiting discrimination because gender?
In my mind, the new FINA rules are going to end up making swimming even more of a dying sport for boys in the US than the unintended consequences of Title IX, etc. Girls, especially in the younger age groups, can often beat boys in swimming, and in fact our own Mr. Qbrain got a top 10 time in the men's 30-34 LCM 1500 this summer. His wife, if I am remembering correctly, beat his time but failed to make the top 10 in the women's category.
If anything, it is we men who are now at a disadvantage. I say make the dystaff gender wear thongs and let us wear body suits fashioned to look like very streamlined tuxedos.
Suits for women now remain pretty much unchanged by the new FINA ruling, with the exception, that is, of getting rid of zippers and getting rid of non textiles. But that means women can continue to swim in what are still arguably very fast suits--FS1's, for example, that are very close to the short john types that helped loads of people get their best times. Men are prohibited from wearing anything but jammers.
Chicks, in other words, get 2004 technology; guys are back to the 60s. Why not let us go back to the 20s instead, when Johnny Weismuller wore a full body suit, albeit of wool?
So, in the spirit of Larry David, who recently concluded an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with the line, "I'm Larry David, and I am comfortable in women's underwear"--I propose that any men who want to join me in the latest civil rights battle of our time show up at nationals this summer in women's suits and accompanied by our class action lawyer, and join me in echoing in a collective voice that rings out in natatoriums all across the fruited plain:
"I am a male USMS swimmer, and I am comfortable wearing women's suits."
Provided I can find an esquire who will agree to take the case on a contingency basis, I say this to the USMS sexist powers that be:
See you in court! Suckers!
Y'all, yous, and yunz, respectively, please listen up.
Regardless of your regional differences, it's important to note that something decidedly weird has just happened to this poll.
Following several days of neck-and-neck polling, with numerous lead changes, the "anti men wearing women's suits" faction has suddenly--and inexplicably, from my point of view, taken a whopping lead.
My suspicion: a recovering transvestite, in a fit of "methinks thou doth protest too much" denial, has voted multiple times on multiple different computers each with their own unique ISP address.
I call upon:
all men and women who believe in egalitarianism to right this vicious wrong and co-opting of the democratic polling system
and, barring success at getting the outcome I personally want via #1, could the administrators look into the patent and sudden unfairness of these new numbers and do a recount, throwing out any even slightly suspicious votes that hinder my desired outcome?
Sorry, I guess I don't have your slang down yet. Are yankees only from the northeast? What are west coasters called? Fruitcakes?
I'm not really sure what people from Washington are called. I just figure everyone from out there is either some Kurt Cobain devotee or works for Starbucks or Microsoft, not that I'm stereotyping or anything!
Jim- Aren't you lifting weights now? Why would you want to go and cover up the moobs?
Come on man, I need something to look forward to at Nationals!
:applaud:
Other than blatant sexism (or promoting homophobia) does anyone have a rational explanation for this kind of chauvinism? :confused:
D2
Unlike you, I don't really like watching guys in grape smugglers. Here's the proof.
No one wants to look at his junk, even if it's tucked into tightie whities.
Exactly. To put it bluntly it's OK for women because they don't have testicles.
So what do the actual USMS/FINA rules say? Do they say that men must wear men's suits? Or do the rules simply specify what a "legal" men's and women's suit would be?
If the rules don't state specifically that a male must wear a men's suit, I think an argument could be made that male could wear a woman's suit, if he wanted to do so. Not that I mean to encourage Jim.
Well, FINA hasn't made a final decision as to whether they'll apply to masters yet, but the FINA rules say that men may not wear suits that extend above the waist -- which would preclude a woman's suit.
