As a nearly lifelong Virginian, I would like to offer commentary in opposition to a ban on trans athletes competing in sports events. Transgender people are exactly that: people. They are not the preternaturally strong bugbear that conservatives have conjured in an attempt to distract from the erosion of all of our rights for which conservative politics are to blame. Moreover, studies have found that trans people's muscle growth and performance in sports matches that of their cisgender peers once they have been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for long enough. This should be a non-issue. Let trans people compete in sports and participate fully in public life.