Ordinarily The Scrapbook enjoys writing about the stupid things associated with modern politics and culture. It’s a touch irritating, though, to have to spend time and energy insisting that obviously true things are, in fact, true. Things like the differences between men and women.

In this instance we’re thinking of Rachel McKinnon, the College of Charleston professor who on October 14 won a women’s world championship cycling event in Los Angeles. Congratulations and all that, but McKinnon was born male. That McKinnon has a performance advantage because of that isn’t debatable. Take a look at the photo of McKinnon on the podium after the race, standing about a head taller and considerably more muscular than the two female runners-up.

Some have suggested that the playing field could be equaled a bit if transgender athletes were put on testosterone blockers, but McKinnon believes, according to one media account, that “subjecting trans women to testosterone blocking violates their human rights.” So if a female athlete takes a performance enhancing drug—testosterone injections, say—she is disqualified. But a male who naturally possesses much higher testosterone levels is allowed to compete against other women so long as he considers himself a woman. Got that?

“Focusing on performance advantage is largely irrelevant because this is a rights issue,” McKinnon explains. “We shouldn’t be worried about trans people taking over the Olympics. We should be worried about their fairness and human rights instead.”

Or maybe we should be worried that we’re turning into idiots who don’t know the difference between a woman and a big strapping guy.