As someone who has spent all of my adult life as a registered Democrat identifying with the traditional values of social liberalism — equality, fairness, compassion for marginalized groups, etc. — I say what I am about to say with both conviction and regret:

When it comes to the debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, too many of my fellow social liberals have abandoned honesty in favor of ideological propaganda. And in doing so, they’ve allowed the far right to seize the moral high ground on an issue where they never should have had it in the first place.

If you need a perfect example of this intellectual dishonesty, look no further than a recent USA Today column by sportswriter Nancy Armour, who criticized former college swimmer Riley Gaines for advocating against transgender participation in women’s sports — while lauding legendary gymnast Simone Biles for standing up for it.

Let me be clear: I admire Simone Biles tremendously. She is a courageous athlete and a generous human being. I also understand the importance of defending transgender people, who face appalling rates of discrimination, harassment and self-harm. And I would never, ever dismiss the emotional weight that comes with being a transgender athlete trying to find a place in the sports world.

But if we are going to have an honest, productive conversation about transgender athletes in organized sports, it has to begin with one basic truth:

Biological males — even those who transition — do retain athletic advantages over biological females.

This isn’t a matter of prejudice. It’s a matter of physiology.

And when a talented and respected journalist like Nancy Armour declares in her column, with a straight face, that “there is no scientific evidence that transgender women athletes have a physical advantage over cisgender women athletes,” it undermines her entire argument. She loses all credibility.

Really, Nancy?

If there’s no evidence, why do we have sex-segregated sports at all? Why not just have a single, open category?

If there’s no evidence then why did the top six high school boys in Central Florida  recently run faster times in the 100 meters than defending women’s Olympic  gold medalist Julien Alfred?

And if there’s no evidence, what do we make of Lia Thomas — the University of Pennsylvania swimmer who couldn’t qualify for the NCAA Championships as a man, but became a national champion as a woman? Ironically, Armour herself references Lia Thomas in her own column — without a mention on how Thomas’ dramatic improvement following her transition just might suggest that biological advantages exist.

Ignoring reality doesn’t help the cause.

It damages it.

I understand why some progressives resist this conversation. They rightfully worry that bad-faith actors on the right are using transgender athletes as a political wedge issue, drumming up fear and hate against a vulnerable population.

But when we deny obvious truths in the name of protecting marginalized people, we only play into the hands of the very people we oppose.

In fact, I would argue that my fellow Democrats’ unwillingness to acknowledge biological realities is precisely what allowed President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other right-wing opportunists to turn this issue into political red meat.

The left-leaning New York Times reported recently that even ultra-liberal former President Joe Biden himself believed transgender women should be limited from competing in women’s sports, but kept his position private. Consequently, Biden and Kamala Harris opened the door for Trump to dominate this issue.

Democratic politicians need to understand that their constituents aren’t just going to blindly deny what we know to be true: that male puberty confers lasting physical advantages in height, muscle mass, lung capacity, bone density and fast-twitch muscle response. And that even with hormone therapy, many of these advantages do not fully reverse.

You don’t have to be a Republican to grasp this. In fact, a recent poll by the New York Times found that 67 percent of all Democrats believe it is unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.

This isn’t because Democrats have suddenly turned against transgender people. It’s because they still believe in fairness and because they understand the difference between compassion and competitive integrity. Breaking news: Defending fairness is not bullying.

Which is another frustrating element of Armour’s column; the way she frames Gaines as some sort of frothing bigot while canonizing Biles for advocating inclusivity.

I admire Biles for her courage and compassion, and I understand why she wants to stand up for transgender athletes. But why is Gaines — a former University of Kentucky swimmer who was one of those who had to compete against Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships — vilified simply for aggressively defending the basic concept of sex-based categories in sports? Isn’t this a principle that has underpinned women’s athletics since ancient Greece?

Another question: Would Biles have a similar stance if she had to compete against males in men-specific gymnastics events like the still rings and pommel horse — events that emphasize upper-body strength and power?

Gaines isn’t calling for the exclusion of transgender people from society. She’s calling for a fair playing field in women’s sports — something that champions of gender equity like Martina Navratilova and many other women’s sports advocates also support.

Navratilova — one of the fiercest LGBTQ advocates in sports history — has publicly stated that transgender women should not compete in girls and women’s sports if they have gone through male puberty. Is she a bully, too, as Gaines is portrayed in Armour’s column?

Navratilova, like me, is utterly disappointed in the inaction of our chosen political party on this topic.

“I hate that the Democrats totally failed women and girls on this very clear issue of women’s sports being for females only,” Martina wrote in a post on X.

Of course, you don’t have to be women’s sports pioneer like Navratilova to understand that it’s not hateful to say that women’s sports exist for a reason — and that reason is the physical differences between the sexes.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: This isn’t about bigotry; it’s about biology.

Yes, we should treat transgender people with compassion and dignity. We should defend their rights in education, employment, housing and society at large. But fairness matters, too.

Women and girls have fought too hard for too long to carve out a space where they can compete on an even playing field. If we ignore physiology in order to appear more inclusive, we risk undermining the very concept of women’s sports.

And, if you ask me, the intellectual dishonesty surrounding this issue may actually be hurting the transgender cause.

By pretending that no physical differences exist, or that concerns about fairness are driven solely by bigotry, we alienate the very moderates and liberals whose support is crucial to protecting transgender rights.

We force them to choose between compassion and common sense. And as a result, the Republican right is exploiting this issue because many on the Democratic left refuse to engage with it transparently.

We must stop denying simple truths and acknowledge that male puberty provides physical advantages that persist even after transition. Transgender rights are way too important to tie to claims that are blatantly, obviously and scientifically dishonest.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire Armour and what she stands for as writer. In my mind, she has always adhered to the long-standing journalistic commitment of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.”

But in this case, she has it backward.

By ignoring basic biology, she isn’t comforting the afflicted; she’s gaslighting the majority of Americans who see what is plainly true.

She, me and everyone else should support transgender rights, but we can’t do it by denying reality and sacrificing the integrity of women’s sports.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen