On Thursday, Joel Northrup, an Iowa high school wrestling champion, refused to wrestle Cassy Herkelman, who won the state championship by default.

Northrup cited religious beliefs as one of his reasons. I think there are many reasons, and religion is peripheral, why this kind of competition is not a good idea.

I do not think that wrestling should involve men and women in competition. It is asking too much of a normal young man that he impose his physicality against a female and it probably goes against every instinct of chivalry that he has ever been taught. There are many sports in which a female should have the right to compete against males. I don’t think this is one of them. And female equality on the side, I think Herkelman's default title is flawed. I hope she realizes it. I wouldn't be displaying any trophy on my mantel if it were me.

Could she have beaten him? His psychological reticence might have given her the advantage. Maybe she could have done it even if he wrestled full out as if she were a guy. She must have won over other male opponents to get to this point. I wonder how many of them held back. The point is, given his mindset, Northrup knew he couldn't give this match his full vigor.

Do we really, I am addressing the women now, want every aspect of chivalry to disappear from our social culture in order to prove we deserve equality? Maybe I am speaking from the point of view of a long ago sensibility that has seen its day, but I don’t know many women who really like being treated as one of the guys all the time. And even if this kind of social behavior becomes the norm, it will swing back. Biology wins the day every time, unless you want to fool with it by injecting women with testosterone.

xx, Teal