It might be time for stirrin’ up hornets’ nests on purpose when I see a man gettin’ walloped for tryin’ to do right by the ladies and the little folks of the state. Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony, a gent with more backbone than a sawmill mule and more common sense than a Carson City windbag, found himself lately the target of legislative shenanigans by the upstandin’ Democrats of the Nevada Legislature.
The reason? He had the gall—the nerve, mind you—to propose that women’s sports ought to be for, well, women.
In my day, if a fella stepped onto a girls’ baseball field with a beard and a baritone, he’d have been laughed back into the barber’s chair. But in modern times, where sense and sentimentality mix like oil and vinegar, Anthony’s efforts to protect the fairness of females are branded a “crusade” by folks who think truth should come second to fashion.
The Lieutenant Governor’s bills—one to create an office to help small businesses, another to support Nevada’s ranchers through agri-tourism, and a third to give children a scant 20 minutes of sunshine durin’ their school day–heaven forbid–were all left belly-up by the rulin’ party. Why?
Because Anthony’s been raising a ruckus about biological men in women’s sports.
He didn’t curse, call names, or raise a fist—but he stood up, and it seems that’s all it takes these days to get labeled a villain.
Assemblywoman Selena Torres-Fossett and Senator Melanie Scheible, bless their dooficatin’ sensibilities, advised Mr. Anthony to mind his official duties–namely, tourism and business, as if one can’t walk and chew gum simultaneously. When Anthony reminded them he’s elected and had some thoughts, too, you’d have thought he proposed digging a canal through the Capitol Buildin’.
“I didn’t know I was supposed to check with those two legislators on what I should do as lieutenant governor,” said Anthony, with dry wit. “I’m the lieutenant governor. I’ll do whatever I see fit for the state of Nevada.”
And fit it is, to stand for fairness. Whether there’s one biological male or ten or a hundred in women’s sports is beside the point–if one steals a medal meant for a girl who worked her heart out, that’s one too many. And if you think it’s all fantasy, wait till it’s your daughter left in the dust by a fellow built like Paul Bunyan.
The good lieutenant guv even took pains to clarify—more than once—that his task force isn’t out there wavin’ torches or pitchforks against transgender folks. His aim’s as narrow and precise as a needle–to keep the playin’ field level for female athletes.
Just rules and reason. But reason, like a beaver-skin top hat, is out of fashion in Carson City.
They call it “retaliation,” and by gum, that’s what it smells like. When Torres-Fossett kills a small business office while praising small business support, and when a tourism bill dies because Anthony dared speak a truth unpopular in Capitol circles, it ain’t politics anymore–it’s personal.
As for Anthony’s outdoor recreation bill–dead on arrival–it must have been too radical a notion for Nevada’s ruling class–children, outside? With the sun on their faces? It’s a wonder they didn’t arrest him for incitin’ joy.
Yet, Anthony remains unbothered, undeterred, and unwhipped. He even offered to debate Assemblywoman Torres-Fossett on live television, mano a mano–or a quatro, as he gallantly invites her to bring reinforcements.
That’s the mark of a man who knows his case is clean and his footin’ solid.
The winds of politics may blow foul in Nevada’s halls–but in the open desert, the ranchers, miners, mothers, fathers, and athletes know the truth–fairness isn’t hateful, and standing up for women isn’t a partisan act–it’s plain decency.
So, three cheers for Mr. Anthony. He’s outnumbered but not outmatched.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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