Discussion Refleciton

Facilitator Reflection

            For the gender order issue in sport, Brett and I focused on the topic of transgender athletes and their participation in sport. This assignment has helped open my eyes to transgender athletes and further understand and debunk myths about transgender athletes.  

Brett and I selected the social issue of gender order with an initial emphasis of inclusion in regards to campus recreation or sexual identity. Indecisive on what certain topic that was to be discussed since we were on the wrong track, we were stuck with a conundrum to select a topic that would deem relevant, suitable, and engaging towards the social issue of gender order. With the help from Dr. Killick, Fallon Fox was chosen for the discussion. Since everyone in class (including Brett and I) were unfamiliar with the controversy behind Fallon Fox, this allowed the entire class to be on an even playing field without any knowledge about the topic. The fact that Fallon Fox competed in a sport of mixed martial arts, I became more eager to learn about this topic because combat sports is one of my interests.

The topic of Fallon Fox was the strength of this discussion because it potentially challenged the entire class to examine a subject outside of their comfort zone. As seen from the class, some students had difficulty grasping with the idea of transgender athletes becoming transgender. This topic also helped enlighten the issues of inclusion for transgender athletes in sport and increase awareness (even in a small class setting) on the myths of transgender athletes. Since many of our colleagues were unaware the story of Fallon Fox, it pushed the class into a deeper discussion of a sensitive topic. A review of literature highlighted the major points that we discussed and helped serve to drive the conversation in class. This was another strength in our discussion since the class may have not been fully aware of Fallon Fox and helped to fill possible gaps in information. I felt that my knowledge of combative sports helped in this discussion and I was able to answer questions directed in that field.

After having done class discussions, I feel that the class already has an understanding on how it all works and what is expected. Areas of improvement would first recognize male-to-female transgender and female-to-male transgender athletes. We made the mistake of solely focusing on the male-to-female transgender of Fallon Fox and failing to not take into account of other athletes who were female-to-male. The applied scenario only focused on Fallon Fox and in retrospect, finding the opposite of her (a female-to-male) would have helped included that demographic. Second area of improvement is be more outspoken in the discussion. I felt that I could have been more engaging in the discussion instead of being reactive. I understand that this is a personal fault since I have been trained to observe, orient, decide, and act (OODA Loop) upon people’s actions. In hindsight, I should have been better prepared with Brett to plan and craft a script on who would be saying what throughout the discussion. This would have made it easier for each of us to interact equally with the rest of the class. Finally the last improvement would include spearheading the discussion. I felt that showing a video was the default way in examining the issue of Fallon Fox. By including a more interactive approach, like role playing or debate teams, it would have further increased the drive into more ideas on the topic. 

As mentioned earlier, facilitating the discussion was a challenge for me. As a role of a moderator, I understood that my job was to control the discussion. I felt that our solid review of literature helped drive the discussion and brought up the necessary questions to continue the class conversation. I found it interesting to listen to what others had to say about this topic. This was easier than nervously waiting to think of something creative to contribute into the discussion. If I had to compare this experience to anything else, it would have to be that initial first date or blind date with someone where you simply just ask questions. You would ask questions and sit back and develop more questions. This, in my opinion, is where I fell short and feel that I could have contributed more into the class conversation (no second date for me). I felt that I was highly knowledgeable in combat sports and this immensely helped in completing and moderating this discussion.

Facilitating the discussion was a positive learning experience. Fallon Fox presented a difficult topic to discuss which forced us to think outside the box and out of our comfort zone. I feel we accomplished our task by highlighting the social issues with transgendered athletes.